SoulMarked
by lovly39
Summary: Harry Hook watched as everyone around him got their SoulMarks—but not him. As time flew by he stopped checking his skin in the mirror. He stopped looking at others' SoulMarks with envy and hope. He accepted that he was that 0.001 percent without a soulmate. Until he started feeling a pull towards the inner Isle... HarryxCheshire Cat's Daughter(OC) *Inspired by Here, Kitty, Kitty*
1. What was that?

SoulMarked

I got the idea of soul marking from reading other stories that have done it—and I want to try my hand at it, but with my own version.

The Cassie Character is based off of another Fanfiction "Here, Kitty, Kitty" by BabyBearxox

With their permission I am using that character. I also highly recommend giving that fanfiction a read.

Here is a link to the first chapter of Here, Kitty, Kitty: /s/12961967/1/Here-Kitty-Kitty (it won't let me put a link in here but putting that in a search bar WILL take you to the first page of the story).

Here is the standard explanation of SoulMarks: It takes the idea of people who are fated to be together further, imagining there is physical proof to identify this connection. SoulMarks are often explored through how this mark affects one's approach to relationships and the certainty of a destined relationship. Marks are unique to a Pair of Soulmates and may vary in placement on the body size, shape, geometry, intricacy, and every other dimension.

In worlds where people are not born with their SoulMarks, a person may worry about how long it is taking for it to appear. If there is a set time when the mark is supposed to appear, the mark might appear at the wrong time. This often involves concerns over being "broken" and without a soulmate, or having to wait an extended time.

For more read this page: /wiki/Soulmate_Marks

My take: I am not going with the "first words" sort of soul mark but a more emotionally telling version where the words that appear on one's soulmate are both good and bad words that reflect what others have called their other half over their life that they believed, words that became part of who they are, and/or shaped their self-image. Marks start appearing usually around age 10-12 (puberty). It is important to understand: for the words to appear they have to be said to the soulmate AND they have to believe/internalize them.

A unique twist of mine is that SoulMarks can also _**fade, change, or burn off**_ if the soulmate no longer believes that particular phrase or adjective about themselves. For example—a person is told they are stupid so they believe it (that phrase appears on their soulmate somewhere). However, over time if they slowly come to realize that they are NOT stupid the mark can do two things depending: If they simply forget they were called stupid it can slowly fade or if being NOT stupid starts to define them then the mark may change to reflect that (for example it might just add the word "Not" in front of stupid). Most marks if they are going to disappear it is by a slow fade or change—very rarely however some marks "burn off." This only ever happens when an important event or phrase suddenly causes a shift in a person's perspective of themselves instantly. Since most feelings fade or change with time, this is considered very rare. The disappearance of these SoulMarks is called "burning off" because of the sudden, stinging pain it causes the SoulMate when the word disappears so quickly.

**When SoulMarks appear** there are two different physical reactions, depending on the quality of the word. Negative words will appear with a burning sensation, while neutral or positive words appear in a much more subtle manner. The sensation of neutral or positive words appearing can be described as a warm tingling or itch (depending on who you ask). This adds another layer of division between Auradon and the Isle of the Lost since most of the words that litter the Isle residents are negative and most of the words on Auradonians are positive or neutral. Many Isle residents are bitter about this difference, believing it yet another unfair Auradon privilege.

Set between Descendants 1 & 2:

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I imagine Harry/Cassie's SoulMark font as Blackadder ITC

* * *

By age ten he had begun noticing that the others around his age were getting their SoulMarks. _**Geek **_was written in sloppy font across Evie's collarbone. _**King**_ appeared in elegant font resting above Mal's eyebrow, alarmingly similar to her mother's SoulMark _**Mad King**_. At eleven, _**Sweet**_ appeared on Evie's forearm. At twelve, Harry Hook's skin remained perfectly porcelain. He was not alone though. At Serpent Preparatory School for the Education of Miscreants, or known shortly as Serpent Prep, Uma also didn't have any SoulMarks. It was probably what first attracted them to each other; they were both late bloomers. He met Gil through Uma, relieved to find another late bloomer. Gil might have gone to Dragon Hall, their rival school, but there was something stronger that connected them all.

It did not take long for Harry to realize that something was wrong with him alone. It started when Uma got her first SoulMark at 14, in elegant bright teal font, wrapping around her right hand was _**Sleeping Beauty. **_That was the day Uma began wearing a glove on her right hand. Half a year later _**Queen**_ and _**Helpful**_ appeared at the nape of Uma's neck and along her rib-cage respectively. The first SoulMark was enough to give Uma an idea of who her soulmate was, but it was not until she saw Sleeping Beauty's daughter on a televised birthday pool party that Uma's suspicions were confirmed. In bright teal, right over Audrey's heart, was scrolled _**Captain**_ in matching font to her own. The only confirmation Uma needed. Uma knew who her Soulmate was and more importantly _where_ she was. It didn't take long for Harry and Gil, the two people closest to her on the Isle, to connect the pieces as well. That was probably when Uma's obsession with breaking the barrier began. Though Harry and Gil were more than willing to help, a part of them felt bad for Uma—though neither were daft enough to dare show pity to their fiery captain. They all avoided that subject both out of fear and respect.

Gil got his first SoulMark when he was 15. _**Impulsive **_appeared in tiny amber-colored font at the top of his forehead. That was when he began wearing a bandanna. Gil had probably the fewest amount of SoulMarks Harry had ever seen, with only one hint. Gil was the exception rather than the rule. It was not uncommon for V.K.s on the Isle to be littered with SoulMarks. Afterall, even villains were vulnerable to inner demons. Rarely did V.K.'s have kind words on their skin like their Auradon neighbors. At fifteen Jay was covered in quivering red font: _**Runt**__**, Scaredy cat, Rotten to the Core, Useless Boy, Good **_**Boy** were just the visible ones. Some, the lucky ones, had even met their Soulmate's already by their early teens. Carlos and Jay were the first around Harry's age to find their soulmate, having grown up together as friends and connected the pieces pretty quickly.

Harry watched as his friends and everyone around him got their SoulMarks—but not him. As time flew by he stopped checking his skin in the mirror. He stopped looking at others' SoulMarks with envy and hope. Something inside him sunk to the sea when he finally accepted, deep down, that he was that 0.001 percent without a soulmate. He was alone.

~...~...~

Cassandra, daughter of the Cheshire Cat of Wonderland, draped her legs over the balcony of Bargain Castle as she stared up at the clouds that surrounded the barrier where the moon should have been visible. She flicked her dark brown braid over her shoulder as her equally dark eyes scanned the clouds for any sliver of actual night sky. Following the events of King Ben's coronation, the Island devolved into chaos with riots and looting. Everyone on the Isle feared that Auradon would retaliate against them all because of Maleficent's actions. After she had been beaten by her daughter, practically everyone ransacked their home, Bargain Castle. Mal's room was left mostly untouched out of fear that she would turn them into lizards as well. _After all, she turned her own mother into a lizard. _

Cassie had no such fear. She thoroughly doubted anyone who was fortunate enough to leave the Isle of the Lost would ever return. After a few days the fear had settled, but the chaos was by no means over. During the day shop keepers were busy fixing the damage done on coronation night, boarding up windows or draping sheets over broken window panes. At night though, without Maleficent's protection small-fry villains were stirring up trouble, robbing stores and citizens of the inner Isle. Wannabe gangs were reeking havoc in the power vacuum. The inner isle had descended to a level of chaos and danger that Cassie had never seen in her lifetime. The body count in the last few days alone was a clear sign of what state the inner isle was in without Maleficent's protection.

Meanwhile, passersby kept their eyes averted from Bargain Castle out of decades of fear and habit. No one noticed that Bargain Castle was no longer empty and Cassie was careful to keep it that way. That was only a few days ago.

Her father, though not a true villain like many of the original inhabitants, had taught Cassie how to survive. Cassie learned how to sneak around unseen and unheard. She learned how to avoid busy areas of the Isle and how to get food from Goblin Wharf without running into a single villain, V.K., or goblin. Everything he ever taught her was about how to survive the Isle. Her whole life it was just him and her together, sneaking and surviving. His whole life too. He passed when she was fourteen, leaving her alone to survive. Though her father had been cursed into human form, he was still a cat originally, with only so many years to live.

With a deep sigh Cassie began her nightly routine. Goblin Wharf was on the outer edges of the Isle, far from her home at the center. It was where all the second-hand material from Auradon came to dock however, which meant it was the perfect place for Cassie's special night walks. After the coronation, many goblins were put out of work as the barges that brought in supplies were limited by King Ben. This change in staffing only served to aid Cassie, with less goblins than usual guarding their second-hand goods. Cassie deftly stepped from tile to tile across the tightly crammed together rooftops of the Isle center. Her father had taught her the best way to avoid people...

Her eyes scanned her surroundings, always looking for something out of place. Something that didn't belong that might give her an early warning of trouble. Everything felt out of place tonight. From the rooftops she could hear villains and V.K.s alike prowling the streets and alleys. Scuffles and curses reached her ears, cries for help too. There were no heroes on this Isle though. There was nothing Cassie could do to help either with her small frame. She had managed to avoid other people so good so far and she was not about to change that. With every red flag of warning sky-high, she continued across the rooftops, crouching to make her presence even smaller.

Once she reached the Goblin turf the rooftops opened up to reveal her goal. Away from the chaos of the inner isle, Cassie breathed a small sigh of relief. Rarely did she ever feel safer near the coast. The little cat climbed down the side alley as she surveyed the open space. The wharf, like most of the coastal areas, had no working street lights. Strategically hung lanterns were the main source of light. Scant additional light came from the moons reflections on the dark ocean waters. Her hearing was useless, all she could hear was the sound of the ocean crashing against the goblins' boats and the wharf's support beams. The pungent smell of sea salt and ocean fish blinded her nose. Cassie would be relying almost entirely on her sight. She scanned the goblins' turf once more, her nerves back on high alert. Empty cargo boxes had been transformed into makeshift stalls, torn sheets advertising something or another in Goblin. It was a running joke since no one on the Isle other than the goblins actually read Goblin. Cassie had never noticed how many shadowy places there were for others to hide before now. She cooled her nerves, reminding herself that the goblin's were either running the Slop Shop or somewhere else sleeping, only a handful would be awake and here to keep an eye on their boats. Most would be standing guard around the boat with the most valuable items—Cassie was not here for valuable items.

With steeled nerves Cassie crossed from the alleyway to duck behind the closest stall. Stall to stall she crept silently, the sound of the ocean crashing getting closer with each step. At last she was on the Wharf's edge. Cassie's red flags were all up as she heard the sound of the ocean below and around her. She looked at the narrow wooden board the goblins used when they weren't carrying cargo on and off the ship. A shaky breath escaped her lips, she had adopted some aversions from her father...water was one of them. This was necessary though. So, with a steeling breath she readied herself to cross the narrow wooden board.

_Just do it_, her mind hissed.

With a mental shove, Cassie left the stall. The board wobbled under her feet, giving her stomach a queasy feeling as she stalked over it. The feeling of relief that washed over her as she stepped back onto semi-solid ground was not to be understated. Allowing herself a moment to recollect her goal, Cassie leaned against the sturdy goblin railing.

With renewed focus Cassie stepped deftly across the main deck to the hatch she knew led to where they stored her goal. The hallway was only four feet tall leaving Cassie with no choice but to crouch. Cassie didn't know if all ships were like this below deck or if this was something specific to goblin ships. She counted the doors she passed until she got to the door she knew held her precious goal.

With utmost care to be silent Cassie slowly opened the door. Once open she quickly entered and closed the door after herself. Cassie took a deep breath through her nose. Other than the grimy, salty smell of the ocean and the goblin ship's aging wood, Cassie smelled her goal. She grabbed the lid to the nearest crate and set it down beside the box. With only the moon's light through the small port window for light Cassie squinted her eyes to see the contents. Score.

Cassie slipped off her backpack and began filling it with stack after stack of stale bread. _Auradon's freshest leftovers,_ she scoffed. Cassie was careful to rearrange the bread she left so that it was not apparent that she had taken anything before returning the lid back and moving onto the next crate. Bruised apples, dented food cans, stale pastries—Auradon's second-hand shipments all came through the goblins. Content with her bag full of ill-gotten goods Cassie securely strapped them to her back before beginning her trek back "_home._"

Relieved with each step that she put between herself and the ocean Cassie felt her nerves begin to relax as she stepped from rooftop tile to rooftop tile. After all, the water was not the _only_ reason that being near the ocean made her nervous. Occasionally she passed over an alley with inhabitants in it: a drunkard passed out in the cardboard boxes, a young couple sneaking intimate moments together, and a pair of rugged men that she knew with one glance were trouble. She deftly passed over them, finding no interesting distraction in any of them.

Cassie did not enter Bargain Castle through the front door, she remained on the rooftops, passing over a board only a few inches wide that connected Bargain Castle to the nearby rooftop. She then hugged the outer wall, walking on a ridge that was again only maybe three inches wide, before finally grabbing the balcony railing and lifting herself over and in. After the ransacking there was not much left in the castle, everything was either broken or stolen except for what was in Mal's room. Cassie set her bag down in the empty corner of the room. Exhaustion creeping into her small frame now that she was safely hidden away.

Cassie had been living on her own for four years now. She had no friends, no family, no one alive who even knew who she was or that she existed. She was her own boss, completely free of obligations to others. Having no one to rely on was a relief and meant she had freedom. Having no one to rely on made keeping herself safe that much easier.

Or so she liked to tell herself.

Being safe and free came at a price: loneliness. It gnawed at her insides during her most quiet hours. Most of the time she was too busy surviving, but every now and then, when she was lying in bed waiting for sleep to take her, she could feel her loneliness taunting her. It was during these times that her mind drifted to him.

Every now and then she wondered about him. Who he was, what he was really like.

She remembered when her first SoulMark had appeared. She had been eleven years old, surprised by the slightly painful burning feeling as the words _**Damaged goods**_ appeared on her left forearm in dark, blood red font. She went to her father first. Her father had looked so devastated at the appearance of the words. Cassie remembered being nervous, seeing her dad like that.

Her father then told her about soulmates.

Soulmates were people who were fated to be together. He warned her though, soulmates could be destructive. He told her about the dark side of soulmate connections: the obsession that could transform to a darker thing. How when people finally met their soulmate, their love for them could become a maddening fixation. Sometimes soulmates could feel too much too soon and push their relationship to move too quickly so they could get to what they perceived to be the finish line.

He explained that when they met they could become so excited and happy that the person they have searched so long for was finally a part of their life. Unfortunately, he warned, many don't anticipate all the chaos and upheaval that could come with a soulmate relationship.

Even worse was when a soulmate ended a relationship. After the end of such an intense, super connected relationship many soulmates found themselves at their lowest, obsessing over what they lost. The devastation could be fatal. He wouldn't tell her much about her mother, but Cassie always knew that whatever it was that had happened, it almost broke her dad. Her father wasn't like other parents on the Isle. He was kind. He loved Cassie. Sometimes he watched her and her appearing SoulMarks with that long off, mournful look, like he wished he could save her from her fate. He never said anything about it but she knew he wished she was a blank slate. Everything her father had taught her had been about survival. Including what he taught her about soulmates.

Soulmates were dangerous.

Hers in particular seemed _especially_ dangerous. It wasn't long before Cassie got a second SoulMark. _**Vile boy **_appeared on her right calf. She had to ask her father what the word 'vile' meant. It was when she was fourteen that the word _**Alone**_ appeared on her rib-cage. That was the same year she lost her father. After that, the marks began appearing more frequently. What was worrisome however was the words that were appearing. At fourteen, _**Evil**_ appeared hugging her belly button. The next year _**Flirt**_ and _**Handsome**_ appeared, followed quickly by _**Man-whore.**_ She found these words sharing her left shoulder blade, like a small wing stretching out. It was when she was sixteen though that the most worrisome and telling words began to appear. Three specific words on her skin sent chills down her spine.

She stretched her hand out to trace where she knew the words were hidden under her thin black cotton jacket.

On her right clavicle, a particularly sensitive part of her body.

_**Pirate.**_

Her hand drifted to her right shoulder, where she knew the words wrapped around the point of her shoulder in that dark, blood red font.

_**Murderer.**_

Her hand ghosted down to the bottom of her right rib-cage.

_**Sadistic.**_

It was only a few weeks later that _**Scary**_ appeared on her inner bicep, almost her armpit. What had her soulmate done to be called these things by others?

Cassie knew her father was right when these words appeared. Soulmates were destructive.

After _**Pirate**_ and _**Murderer**_, Cassie barely gave another thought when in that same season _**Second best**_ appeared on the side of her torso stretching from her ribs to her hip, followed a few months later by _**First Mate **_which wrapped around her upper arm like a tribal tattoo. Now though she found her thoughts pondering about pirate hierarchy. She only knew that the Captain was at the top of the pyramid. Without any way of learning where a first mate was in that hierarchy though she grew bored and her thoughts quickly drifted again. This time to the few positive SoulMarks she had.

The first was _**Loyal**_. This word rested right on her heart. Cassie knew from hearing passing conversations on her night walks that this location was significant. She felt it too. Somehow this one word was important to whoever her soulmate was. It seemed so weird to her. So contradictory to everything that her other SoulMarks were telling her about this person.

It was only half a year ago that she saw something that truly puzzled her. The SoulMark she had since she was fourteen changed. Right in front of _**Alone**_ the word _**Not**_ appeared, like it had been there all along. It was when she saw this new SoulMark that the empty ache in her heart felt the most plain. It somehow felt more lonely. She didn't even know him. She had every intention of never meeting him if possible. So why did it feel like her loneliness grew when that SoulMark changed?

It was around this same time that Cassie saw something else that she didn't understand. What had once been written in dark, blood red font was slowly becoming softer in color like it was fading. She watched with confusion as two of her SoulMarks began to fade. First it was _**Vile Boy,**_ then _**Evil.**_ If it wasn't for the fact that the rest of her SoulMarks remained that same dark, blood red Cassie might have thought that her soulmate had died. She had heard of SoulMarks fading after the death of a soulmate, but as far as she knew hers was still alive. She really wished she had someone she could talk to about her questions. The last person she had talked to was her father though...

Cassie took a deep sigh.

It had been a long time since she had last thought about her SoulMarks. Maybe it was because of visiting the water today on her night walk. Every time her night walks brought her close to the shore she felt on edge. The ocean always made her feel more aware of the danger of meeting her soulmate. She rarely left the inner Isle because of this, keeping to her home during the day and only coming out for her night walks. If it wasn't for the fact that the Goblin's Wharf was the best way for her to steal food without exposing herself she would never step that close to pirate turf.

~...~...~

Harry sauntered into the Clip Shoppe. Following his nightly routine, he checked his sword at the entrance and headed towards the long bar in front of the mounted T.V. He took his place behind the bar, sitting atop one of the stools as he waited for Uma's night shift to end and the rabble to drift out. He shifted around on his chair to face the T.V. Harry paid no attention to what the Auradonian news woman was saying about the former V.K.s as his own thoughts took his attention.

Since the king's coronation the Isle had been growing steadily uneasy. The power vacuum that Maleficent and Mal's absence left had been making the residents of the inner Isle restless as various small gangs aspired to claim the territory as their own and the isle's general scum felt emboldened. More attacks had happened in the last couple days than ever before. They had their own plans however. Harry's mind drifted to the ambitions Uma had laid out in the chaos of coronation day and the riots that followed. A half-week of preparing and they had what was necessary. Their small crew had been recruiting more and their numbers had grown stronger.

It was with a wicked smile that Harry thought about the tagging they had done on coronation night, their first declaration of their intent to claim the inner isle as their new turf. The chaos of that night still brought a smile to his lips. The sound of everything falling down around him was sweet music to his ears. Harry always liked to play with fire. He was one of the first to volunteer for Uma's mission to enter the inner isle with a small group and tag everything that the old V.K.s had considered their turf. Over the past few days they had also spread the word that anyone wanting protection for their businesses or themselves could get it from the Lost Revenge. Steadily over the last few days they had gotten knocks on their door. Uma was offering to protect shop owners from robbery, injury, harm, etc—so long as they were willing to pay a price. Without police any shopkeeper that hoped to keep their possessions had to pay for protection. With Maleficent gone they were scrambling to find a suitable replacement—and Uma was offering the Lost Revenge's power.

Something about being in the inner isle felt different from being in pirate turf. Harry knew of the obvious differences like the excess of shops, street lights, and the high number of "original villains" that made their home there. The inner isle was considered more desirable real estate because of these reasons. That wasn't what was occupying Harry's thoughts though. Something had felt different when he had been there. A strange feeling in the back of his head had been nagging him since last week, drawing his mind back to the center of the isle. He had felt a _draw_ when he was there. Some sort of pull.

The thought of soulmates briefly crossed his mind, souring his face.

"Evil thoughts?" his captain slyly smiled from beside him. Her apron was balled up on the bar between them, signaling the end of her shift. He had been so preoccupied he did not even notice that the customer's had all left.

Harry hummed, considering his options. Uma had a soulmate, though the subject was a sore topic. He wanted to ask what she felt when she looked at Auradon. If she felt some sort of pull. Harry didn't want to hurt Uma by bringing up the topic of soulmates though. Not to mention, Uma was just as likely to answer his question as she was to zero in on the thought behind the question. Harry never knew which questions were worth the trouble of asking and which were best left unasked. He didn't feel especially willing to voice the thoughts though and the risk of hurting his captain's feelings was just as unappealing. It might be rare for Harry to consider anyone but his own feelings, but Uma and Gil had earned that special privilege. His silence and loyalty won this time. With a shrug he gave up the line of thought, it hardly mattered to him after all. Knowing the answer would hardly change anything. His soulmate didn't exist.

"Nothin'. Just wonderin' 'bout the inner isle."

His captain blinked, her bored mask slipping for a moment. Uma took a quick glance to double check there were no stragglers before she took the seat beside him, her face all cunning business.

"Have you heard any news?"

"Nothin' but idle chatter about the Fearsome Five moving into the Northern part of the inner isle." he answered, shrugging off the news as gossip. If the Fearsome Five were really making a move then Gil would have heard about it and told them. Harry countered with his own question, "When's our plan for the inner isle begin?"

Uma smiled wickedly.

~...~...~

Cassie woke from her catnap to the sound of movement and voices on the street. She blinked her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the darkness. A distinctly female voice stood out, though Cassie couldn't make out any words until she got closer to the balcony. Her ears perked up as she finally made out the words.

"-now under the protection of me, Uma, and the Lost Revenge."

Her bare feet froze in place over the smooth wood of the balcony. The cold night air suddenly felt like a physical thing that was squeezing the air out of her.

_Pirates._

_Why were they so far inland? _

Every muscle and joint became taut in Cassie's body.

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been dropped over her. It felt like a jolt of electricity straight to her brain, her thoughts were shooting by too fast to comprehend.

Her rigid body moved on autopilot. Once at the edge of the balcony, with a sinking feeling, she turned to face the source of the commotion. Her view changed from rooftops to the street where the voices came from. The female pirate, who she could see now, was still speaking but Cassie couldn't hear properly. Her words sounded warped, like Cassie was hearing her through a long tunnel.

_This couldn't be happening. _

That thought was on repeat in Cassie's head as she stared at the crowd below. Some twenty pirates were standing down there, spread all around—with the one who was speaking at the middle of it all. Cassie realized vacantly that the person speaking was probably the Captain. It was dark so Cassie could not make out any details but the speaker was smaller than how Cassie imagined a captain. In a world where power was everything the fact that someone so small was in charge was a red flag of warning. The woman down there was more than appearances suggested. She certainly held herself with confidence as she spoke to the residents of the inner isle. Cassie noted with surprise that she was holding everyone's attention and was even eliciting nods from some of the inner isle residents. Cassie's eyes strayed to the two men closest to her. It was apparent from how close they were standing that they were somehow part of the captain's inner circle.

Cassie felt herself step forward, her hands touching the cool railing as she squinted to see the three of them better. The three were her age roughly, but they were nothing like her. Every one of them exuded confidence and power.

The captain drew her sword and raised it, power and authority radiating from her. The motion made the captain's thick, long braided dreadlocks sway like the oceans tides. Cassie narrowed her eyes in an attempt to see more clearly. They were some type of blue, but she couldn't make out the exact color in the dark. A large roar erupted from the crowd a moment later, pulling a startled flinch from the little cat.

Then she saw something that caught her eyes. The glint of something shiny in the dark. She had always had a weak spot for the shiny things.

Her eyes scanned the three again. She examined the tan-skinned muscular young man first, he was facing her direction. He had light hair tied in a ponytail and a bandanna. Her eyes took in his orange sleeveless leather jacket and ripped blue jeans. He looked like he could have been the captain's muscle. She saw a dull glint come off of what looked like a bronze bull necklace. Interesting, but that wasn't what caught her attention. Uninterested, she switched her gaze to the other young man. His back was to her but she could make out that he was a light-skinned brawny guy with dark brown hair. He was wearing a red sleeveless leather coat and black pants with red ripped details.

Cassie sighed. _Nothing noteworthy. _Then another movement and her eyes caught the glint again. A small breath came through her parted lips and she leaned forward to get closer. She had always been a fan of shiny things. Her room was full of shiny pieces she had found and taken here and there over the years since her father passed. The object in question was only a hook, albeit a very large one, but the shine it gave when the moon reflected off it suggested it was special. Something about it drew her in a way that no shiny thing had before.

The object moved again, gliding to the right. The movement snapped Cassie out of her trance just in time to see a pair of shadowed eyes. Every red flag shot sky-high, with a gasp Cassie dropped to the balcony floor.

Her pulse was racing. She could feel her heartbeat in her throat.

She held her breath on the cool wooden floor.

_What was that?_

~...~...~

Uma's voice rang through the central plaza loud and confident, "Now who is with us?" She demanded, drawing her sword and raising it in an inspiring motion. Harry loved watching Uma in her element, at the risk of sounding cliché, Uma reminded him of all the power of the sea. She was ambitious and tough and refused to not be heard. Her iron-will and tough exterior hid a deep kindness though. Uma cared deeply for her crew and for the other people mistreated on the Isle.

Harry wholeheartedly raised his hook with her as the crowd roared with excitement. Uma had them on a hook. With the people's consent Uma and the Lost Revenge would be their protectors—for a fee. Uma's speech continued as she made solid proclamations, declaring what she would do for them in return for a part of their profits. The wicked smile on Harry's lips spread even farther, his body swaying just a little off balance as a sardonic chuckle escaped him. _They had done it_. Now they just had to prove they could keep the territory and its residents protected. After tonight they would only get more recruits. They would be—

He felt it again.

_The pull._

As though the crowd had dissipated to nothing, he could _feel_ a single pair of eyes on him. The roar of the crowd dulled to white noise at the back of his mind. He was not imagining this. Without a doubt he could feel it this time.

A pull to...

_someone_.

Harry jerked around, his fingers clenched around the hook in his left hand, his jaw firmed. He could feel his blood racing in his veins.

_Where_.

His shadowed eyes scanned the crowd. _No_. Higher?

He stared directly at Bargain Castle. With a sinking realization he registered he was staring at an empty building. His face soured. The feeling was gone too. Had he really just imagined it? Was the whole no-soulmate-thing finally getting to him? Harry growled in frustration.

Gil's doe-like amber eyes widened beside him. The other teenager tilted his head with a confused pout. Even in his frustration Harry could read that look in an instant. He could barely think through the blinding rage though. The infuriating thought that he could still be so stupid as to be holding out hope in something that didn't exist for him taunted him on repeat._ I could hook someone._ His eyes must have shown his dark thoughts because Gil sunk back. Harry's fury was dangerously close to the surface and flaring higher the longer he stood alienated in that crowd.

A small dark hand came down on his shoulder. Harry's shadowed blue eyes flashed as he turned towards the owner of the hand. Uma's own eyes stared at him with a strong, cool calm. Her chilly brown eyes deadlocked his fiery blue pupils, wordlessly ordering him to stay collected.

Harry took a deep, shaky breath, forcing his feelings down. There would be time to react later, when they were done and he was alone.

~...~...~

General cheer and lively shouts filled the Chip Shoppe as Uma's crew celebrated their success in the small hours of the morning. Harry's temper had simmered in the hours since his _feeling_ at the central plaza, but his mood had only soured the more time he had to stew over it.

As soon as her obligatory captain's speech and toast was over, Uma was at his side, her captain's persona on like a finely tailored mask.

"Follow me" she commanded before turning and walking away. Harry closed his eyes for the briefest of seconds to exhale a reluctant breath but didn't dare disobey a direct order from his captain. Gil wordlessly followed both of them.

No words were spoken as Uma took them down a set up stairs, down a hallway, and through a cold underground cavern that had all the decorations of the Chip Shoppe but with more boxes and crates—presumably where they stored their cold foods. It stunk strongly of fish and salt and was cold enough that the trio's breathes were puffs of white air. It was where Uma brought people when she wanted to be sure they got complete privacy—a rare commodity on the Isle.

Their captain took a seat on one of the wooden crates before wordlessly motioning for them to do the same. Gil happily obliged. Harry elected to instead lean against a taller barrel.

Uma's perfectly shaped eyebrow raised as her cool brown eyes locked onto him. "What happened back there?" the teal-haired captain demanded, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Nothin' important," Harry said with a huff of annoyance "Jus' a feelin'."

His captain chuckled in amusement.

"My first mate almost loses it in the middle of our biggest triumph over a feeling?"

Harry's pride prickled.

"It's not jus' any feelin'," he growled, "It's..." his earlier frustration filled him as he grappled for a way to describe what he had felt without sounding stupid.

"A pull?"

Uma's surprise at Gil's suggestion was only out outweighed by Harry's own surprise that Gil had gotten it right.

"How'd ya know?"

At Harry's confirmation, Uma gave him a quick look that conveyed how unexpected both of their answers were. Now Gil had both pirates' attention.

The muscular blonde, to his credit, didn't falter under the attention. He merely continued his line of thought as if it was obvious to everyone in the room, "Oh, you got that look in your eyes that Uma sometimes gets when she is looking towards Auradon. I figure she's thinking 'bout Audrey. Ya know the look, it's the one where it looks like something is pulling her there. 'cept Uma looks sad after an' you looked kinda mad."

It was a crude reminder that what Gil lacked in common sense he more than made up for in emotional intelligence.

"Is this true?" their captain asked, turning their attention back to Harry.

"Aye." Harry couldn't think of anything else to say.

A silence filled the room.

Harry rarely felt uncomfortable. Sitting there talking about his feelings was without a doubt uncomfortable. Even more uncomfortable though was where this conversation was heading.

"Harry, is it possible..."

"No." Harry quickly cut off his captain, standing to his feet as he felt his jaw clench. It had taken years for him to accept what he was and what it meant for him. That line of thinking was treacherous.

"Harry—" Uma insisted.

This time it was with a growl that Harry warned, "Don' say it." The fingers of his left hand tightened around the handle of his hook.

Gil fidgeted uncomfortably on his barrel. Uma clenched her own jaw tightly, staring her first mate down, sizing him up. He could see the moment when she made her decision.

"Fine. Are you still good to continue your duties?" She asked with practiced nonchalance. Gil's fidgeting stilled for the time. She was asking if he was fine going back to the inner isle.

"Aye."

A swift nod, "Then you have the central plaza." she said decidedly. _That was where he—_ Before Harry could even begin to think that she was trying something slick she continued, "It's the most important territory and I _need_ my first mate to be in the right mindset if we are going to hold it."

Disgruntled but without a clear way to counter Harry grunted his acknowledgment and took his leave.

Behind his back Uma and Gil exchanged looks.

~...~...~

A month passed without that feeling ever returning. In that time the Lost Revenge had set up rounds for patrolling their new territory and a system to ensure fairness. Yesterday had marked the last day of his day-shift patrols, beginning tonight he would be leading the night patrols. For the past month Harry's mood had been alarmingly chipper. He knew Uma had assigned him to the central plaza hoping he would feel that pull again, but in a full month of patrolling the streets and alleys around that area he had not felt it since that one night. A certain part of him got satisfaction from besting Uma.

There was a confident sway to Harry's saunter as he wandered aimlessly around their newest territory, relearning the same streets by night. It wasn't hard. Unlike the coast, the inner Isle had streetlights stretching their dim light here and there. It was around one in the morning that a nagging feeling in the back of his mind started, like an out of reach itch. Within half an hour Harry's temper was growing as the irritating pull ebbed and flowed. With grim determination he ignored it the whole night as he continued his patrol, purposely patrolling the farthest areas. By daylight he was exhausted and the pull finally dissipated again.

That pattern continued for a whole week.

Every night a little after midnight the pull started and continued all the way to first daylight. If it didn't mean admitting Uma was right Harry would have asked his Captain for a reassignment, but his pride prevented it. His damned pride was costing him his sanity. Slowly he was being worn down. Every morning he came back from his patrol increasingly off-kilter. Between the exhaustion and ire Harry was absolutely caustic. If Uma noticed a change in her first mate she kept her mouth shut for the time being. The final straw for Harry though was when he had gone home from his patrol on the seventh morning and stood in front of the mirror, looking for something that he had not looked for in years. That was when he realized that ignoring _whatever this was _wasn't the solution. He was going to have to go on the offensive if he wanted to keep his sanity. And he would make whatever the bloody hell was causing this pay.

Easier said than done he would find out.

The next night it started like usual, a persistent feeling at the back of his mind, pulling him towards...something. Tonight he responded differently though. Instead of ignoring it, Harry focused on the feeling, trying to discern an actual direction. He planned on following that feeling until he found whatever was causing it so he could_ shut it up_.

_'Yer losing yer mind,' _Harry thought bitterly as he followed his internal GPS, at first it was pulling him towards the center of the Isle.

At first.

Once he was almost to the central plaza however it changed direction, suddenly making a beeline for the northern coast. Harry's steps picked up as he realized he was getting closer.

~...~...~

Cassie's night walk had begun like always. Her feet fell deftly from rooftop tile to rooftop tile as her eyes scanned the alleys and streets for anything of interest. A few rooftops into her night walk though she got the sense that she was being followed. It didn't take her long to hear it after that. Heavy footsteps, the rustle of leather and denim, and the occasional clank of a sword swaying side to side and colliding with the material around it.

_A pirate._

With a panic that only a pirate could elicit from her Cassie felt her heart lodge into her throat. Whoever it was they were heading straight towards her. A cold sweat ran along her spine. Her survival instincts prickling as everything her father had taught her rushed at her. She picked up her pace and deviated from her current path, taking a long detour to the Goblin Wharf instead of her usual direct path. It worked, after a few turns she couldn't hear her pursuer any more.

Never one to flaunt in the face of danger though, Cassie continued this pattern all the way to the Goblin's Wharf. She moved from rooftop to rooftop with practiced ease and silence, crouching low to make her small frame even harder to spot from the ground. Every block or so she changed direction, careful to make sure there was no discernible pattern. Like this, it took three times longer for her to reach the wharf, but it was worth it to know she had completely lost her would-be pursuer.

True panic gripped her at the edge of the Goblin's Wharf as she realized that she could hear the heavy footsteps again.

_How!_

She thought she had lost them back in the inner isle. They were right behind her now though. Cassie stared at the wide open space that surrounded the Goblin's shipments.

"Damn it." she hissed as she realized that the second she entered that wharf she would be completely exposed to whoever the hell was pursuing her. Whoever they were, they had tracked her from one side of the Isle to the other. Since King Ben's coronation the supply shipments had slowed and it would be another two weeks before the next one. The next two weeks would be tough without those supplies but she should be fine if she could make the next shipment.

The rest of the night was spent backtracking and evading her would-be chaser. By first light she crawled back into Bargain Castle exhausted.

~...~...~

"Damn it!" Harry growled, entering his quarters that morning. Whatever he was being pulled to it was on the move and irritatingly impossible to track. It was like following a ghost. Whenever he thought he was close it would change directions and evade him.

A rueful scoff escaped him as he jerked off his jacket and shirt in one fluid motion._ Evade _him. As if! He hadn't even glimpsed whatever it was he was chasing. There was never anything down those streets or alleys. Maybe he really was losing it. Could he blame it on his exhaustion? Was this something that people without soulmates experienced? Was he really chasing a ghost? Some figment of his imagination that he created to make himself feel—what? Like the impossible wasn't impossible? No one with a soulmate reached his age without a single SoulMark.

Harry caught a glimpse of his mirror. Blank skin stared back at him. For the briefest moment he wondered what color it would be if he had them. Would they be in his handwriting or hers? He caught his own eyes in the mirror then. Pale blue eyes stared back at him with a weakness he despised.

Violent, uncontrollable anger crashed over him like a giant wave. There was a pounding in his ears and a heat rising in his upper body. Every part of him hated the weakness he showed every time he checked his skin in that damn mirror. His pale blue eyes darkened in the reflection until the blue was barely visible. Those dark eyes glared back at him as his face twisted with derision. '_What would the words even say?'_ His mind sneered. His fingers twitched. With a raw sound of hatred and grief the chair that was previously beside him crashed into the standing mirror. Shards of reflective glass flew out from the impact and fell to the floor of his quarters. Harry's chest expanded and contracted erratically, slowly he began to hear again.

He was going to kill whatever, _whoever_ was causing this to him.

* * *

_Well that was the first chapter! Again, this story is based off of my own take on SoulMarks and the Cassie character is borrowed from the fanfiction **Here, Kitty, Kitty by BabyBearxox.**_

_If you liked this story and are looking forward to more please **leave a comment**! I love reading them and am pretty good about responding. If you have any questions I will answer them so long as it doesn't give away future plot._

**_Remember to favorite/review/follow!_**

**_If you follow this story you can know when I post a new chapter!_**

**_Thank you for reading and all the kind words!_**


	2. Who are you to me?

**Chapter 2: Who are you to me?**

The Cassie Character is based off of another Fanfiction "Here, Kitty, Kitty" by BabyBearxox

With the author's permission I am using their character. Again, I also highly recommend giving that fanfiction a read.

I honestly love reading reviews. If you review under a username I can get back to you too!

* * *

That pattern continued for a while. Every night for two weeks Harry would wait until the feeling began, usually around midnight or soon after, and he would spend the rest of the night running around chasing a bloody ghost. The only discernible pattern he had was that the feeling would start somewhere within a few blocks of the central plaza, after that it was a maze of directions until he finally lost them somewhere before dawn. Harry had tried tracking them in the day, but it was impossible. In the day there was a general feeling that drew him towards the center of the isle, but that was it. It was too faint for him to get any directions and sometimes he couldn't even feel any pull at all. Night, for whatever reason, was when whatever was pulling him felt the strongest.

This last night had been just as unsuccessful as all the nights before it.

Like every morning, Harry went home to the Lost Revenge exhausted and infuriated.

The crew went out of their way to avoid the tall brunette as he stomped onto the Lost Revenge, nearly falling over each other as he passed. Even the thickest among the crew had picked up that Harry's temper was escalating and it was with hushed whisper's that he heard them discuss him.

Harry's jaw clenched as he blocked out the whispers this morning. He had enough on his hands without combating gossip.

The first mate made his way to the entrance of the ship. He took the small steps in a single stride and headed straight to the last door in the hallway.

The dark wooden door opened briskly and shut behind him.

His boots crunched over the shards of mirror near the door. The destruction of his standing mirror was left where it had fallen that day two weeks ago. The chair had also stayed put. The two front legs had crashed through the mirror first, then the spine of the chair had collided with it. Like that it stayed; its two back legs in the air as its front legs and spine were lodged inside the frame of the broken mirror.

Harry gave the destruction in the corner beside the door no thought and instead headed to the desk in the corner of his quarters. A myriad of objects, maps, and trinkets were scattered over the dark wood of the sturdy captain's desk.

With a heavy sigh Harry unbuckled his sword, belts, and other excess outerwear including his heavy leather jacket before taking a seat in front of the desk.

He grabbed a pen and began his new ritual.

Harry moved objects out of the way as he revealed what he had been working on for the past two weeks. A detailed map of the Isle of the Lost was inked onto slightly tanned paper. In meticulous detail Harry had made dotted lines and quickly scrawled words, transcribing exactly the steps he had taken over the past two weeks. Looking at all the data together it was a mess of lines that stretched over the four corners of the inner isle. Harry had been up and down every alley and street of the inner isle a dozen times over following his ghost.

It was maddening. There was no pattern to where they were heading only that, other than that first night, they stayed inside the inner isle. That first night had been chaos compared to the following nights. Harry had chased his ghost east, west, south, and north—all the way to the northern coast almost before they lost him somewhere on their way back to the inner isle.

Just looking at the map Harry could feel his frustration grow. More than that, in the back of his throat he could feel a venomous bitterness that three weeks had already passed. He had only one more week to find a solid pattern before he was switched back to the day patrols. If his time ran out, he either had to wait a month or confess to Uma why he wanted to stay on the night patrol. Each option was equally unappealing.

_Click, pop._

The sound of the doorknob only gave him a moments warning.

Harry quickly grabbed the large maps he had pushed to the side and jerked them not-so-gently over his secret project.

"Don't bother." A decidedly feminine voice spoke from near the door, the telling crunch of glass informing him they were stepping closer.

"Uma," Harry turned around with his most flirtatious grin, "Don' you know it's dangerous entering a man's room alone?"

As if to make a point his captain closed the door behind her. Harry's smile dimmed when he saw her also lock the door.

"Wha' brings you here?" he asked, glancing to the side to make sure his project was fully covered, "I was workin'"

His captain gave a pointed look to the corner of his room that held the destruction of the mirror and chair. She leveled him with a stern look before speaking.

"I came by to check up on you." She motioned to the chair and mirror, "Care to explain?"

"No' really." Harry's own eyes flicked to the destruction. Uma had a way of snuffing out the truth and he'd prefer to avoid the topic that brought on that particular fit of anger.

With practiced nonchalance Uma shrugged, "And what about what you're hiding under there?" she motioned towards him, more precisely what was on the desk behind him.

"Aww," Harry cooed, "If you wanted a little fun, ya should have asked earlier I'm all tuckered out from my patrol." Harry winked provocatively. His aura shifted from defensive to provocative as he stretched his bare arms seductively and threw a kiss in her general direction, purposely misinterpreting her words.

To her credit Uma kept a straight face. She was no stranger to Harry's habit of misdirecting through teasing or flirting.

A wry smile curved the corner of her lip as she retorted, "You're fun to look at Harry, but you don't know when to shut your mouth. I know you hid something on your desk as I came in." the small teal-haired pirate crossed her arms, "What is it?"

Faced with no way out but to tell a direct lie to his captain Harry's face faltered.

"Yer goin' to make fun of me." he accused darkly, his flirtatious mask crumbling.

She had to suppress her urge to laugh at that. He looked a lot like a kid that had been caught red handed and knew he was caught.

Uma held up one hand and with her other crossed her index finger over her heart, "No jokes."

Harry eyed her suspiciously, his pale blue eyes narrowing at her. She matched his look with her own.

A pregnant silence filled the air.

Uma could see the moment when he gave in. With a dramatic sigh Hook closed his eyes and turned towards the desk. "I've been feeling it again." His deep voice held weeks of frustration in it.

It took a few moments to realize what he had meant but when she did the small captain's interest was peeked. The analytical part of her mind kicked into motion.

"When did this start?" she asked, wondering how long her first mate had been keeping this particular secret.

"I'm to be interrogated?" Harry's voice was dripping with faux-disgruntlement and a hint of defiance. An unconcerned eyebrow raise from his captain was all it took to tame his rebellion this time, "The first night shift." He uncovered his secret project for his captain to see.

She stepped forward like he expected and her eyes instantly locked onto the map, he watched as her brown orbs absorbed every marking he had made on the tanned paper over the last two weeks.

Minutes passed as she wordlessly analyzed everything, meticulously taking in every marking. Finally, after she was satisfied that she had read and understood everything on the map, she pointed to the one thing that stood out to her. Her finger fell on the lone stretch of lines that twisted and turned all the way from the inner isle to the edge of the Northern coast.

"What about this?"

Harry wrinkled his nose at that particular line, "Tha' was the first night I started chasin' this bloody ghost."

"When was that?"

"Two weeks ago."

_Interesting..._

"_Exactly_ two weeks ago?"

Harry raised an eyebrow at the question but answered, "Aye, why?"

The first mate watched with irritation as a wicked smile took his captain's face and she chuckled darkly at his question.

"You could navigate your way around the world but you really don't see it?" She was having fun now. She knew something he didn't and it was good.

The ire was obvious on her first mate's expression, his shadowed eyes narrowing at her mirth.

"Yer teasing me Uma." The ire never left his eyes as a rueful smile crept onto his lips, "Ya goin' to share with the class o' not?"

"You really don't see it?" Uma's taunting giggle irked Harry. She was having so much fun, but she could see that her first mate was at the end of his patience.

"Harry, look at where they stopped." she prompted him.

His pale blue eyes narrowed at the outer edge of the dotted line. They had stopped a block or so short of the northern coast. He didn't see it.

"What is on the northern coast?" she prompted again when he didn't produce the answer.

Harry's eyes scanned the buildings at the edge of the line. Just small businesses and shite homes. They drifted further to the coast, "The Goblin's Wharf. So what?"

Why would it matter that they almost made it to the Goblin's Wharf?

An exasperated sigh passed through his captain's lips, as if she was tired of spoon-feeding him the answers, "What happened there exactly two weeks ago?"

There was the spark of recognition she had been hoping for.

"The shipment from Auradon," a slow smile took Harry Hook's face, "And there's another shipment tonight." He shouldn't have been looking for a pattern, he should have been looking at the one thing that didn't connect to the rest.

A wild laughter erupted from his throat, _He had them._

"It's time to stop chasing." Harry's smile was positively wicked, his dark eyes glinted with murderous intent, "Tonight we lay a trap."

~...~...~

Tonight couldn't have come soon enough for her. Over the past two weeks the Cheshire Cat's daughter had been chased from nightfall to dawn. Evading her persistent pursuer was honestly exhausting and had kept her too busy to restock on supplies.

She had to make this supply run if she was going to eat.

To her surprise, when she started her night walk tonight she didn't feel that prick at the back of her mind warning her that she was being followed. It was all the better, but a small part of her brain held off hope. Suspicion clouded her mood as she went from rooftop to rooftop. These night walks used to be her favorite, when she was most free, but instead they had been consistently turned into a recurring nightmare.

By the time she got to the last rooftop before the Goblin's Wharf Cassie almost felt like her old self. A small smile had even crept onto the corner of her lips as she landed in the empty alleyway.

However once she was in the alleyway and actually facing the stretch of space that separated her from the ship, her smile faded.

Each makeshift stall was a shadowy place for someone to hide. With forced confidence and a sense of necessity Cassie made her first move to the nearest stall. She paused for a second there. She had a strange feeling in the back of her mind, like something was tugging her thoughts in some direction. It was disconcerting to say the least but when nothing happened she went to the next stall. The feeling persisted, like a nagging itch inside her mind. In twice as much time as it usually took, she made it all the way to the end of the wharf and beginning of the ship.

She had a bad feeling about this.

With no choice however she made her way across the rickety wooden board and down into the hull of the ship. Despite her feeling, everything went as usual; nothing was out of place. She counted the doors, entered, and filled her bag careful to leave no evidence of her presence. However, that feeling in the back of her head was getting stronger. Alarmingly so.

She backtracked to the hatch that exited to the main deck. Cassie got to the top of the steep steps and bowed her head to avoid the ceiling as she slowly pushed up the hatch. It swung backwards and a gust of cold night air hit her.

"Well, well, well," a deep voice taunted darkly, "looks like I found a thief."

She instantly realized why she had that feeling.

Her eyes were drawn to him. A tall, dark figure loomed in front of the small board that was the only connection between the Isle and the ship. He was blocking her exit.

The panic that gripped Cassie in that moment froze her every thought except one; that she was so _incredibly stupid. _

He stood directly between the gap in the railing, effectively blocking her hopes of escaping quickly. The dark figure in front of her had his arms stretched out grabbing both sides of the railing. Instantly she somehow knew this was the person who had been pursuing her for the last two weeks.

Cassie straightened her spine and stepped fully out of the hatch, refusing to show weakness.

The moon was in the waning gibbous phase, offering her just enough light to make out his features from this close. He was tall and handsome, she observed. His dark hair was chaotic and his eyes were a striking pale blue. She noted the shadows around his eyes and with surprise acknowledged that it actually added to his attractiveness. He wore a sleeveless red leather jacket and dark jeans with red ripped details and zippers. On his arms he wore a black band; red, black, and white bracelets; black finger-less gloves; and a golden skull ring. There were no SoulMarks on his arms she noted with surprise. It was a common area for them. On his torso was a thin, see-through ripped white tanktop, a red sash, a brown skull belt, and a dark brown belt with rings. She noted with surprise that she didn't see any SoulMarks through his shirt on his torso either. Her eyes then caught the shiny pocket watch resting at his hip.

It was polished and well taken care of, unlike most of the things on the Isle. That meant it was special. More than just shiny things, she had a particular weakness for shiny and special things.

A small and thoughtful frown was on the pirate's face as his eyes slowly went up and down her form as well, sizing her up with appreciation. She could see the very second when he decided that she wasn't a threat.

His eyes got a dangerous glint in them and an alarming smile spread over the pirate's face.

"So yer the one that's been causin' me such trouble." he took a small step forward, only to stop and chuckle when he heard Cassie growl a small warning. She carefully took a small step, returning the distance between them.

_Trouble?_

She recognized him as the pirate that she had seen that night in the plaza beside the captain. He was wearing a similar red leather jacket, a quick glance to his left hand confirmed that he had the same hook too. It was as mesmerizing as she remembered.

She jutted out her chin in an attempt to display confidence as she quite pointedly didn't answer him.

A wild laughter escaped the pirate at that.

"Feisty aren't ya?" He stepped forward again, slower this time. Cassie's eyes flicked between his body and the exit a few feet behind him. Did he know he was creating a gap for her?

_Doubtful_.

"Do you have a name love?" his voice was sickeningly sweet as he leaned forward. His eyes slowly raked over her form again, causing a flush on her cheeks at the attention. His pale blue eyes displayed a mischievous glimmer when he noticed her flush, "Ya don' much look like a ghost to me," he mused aloud, seemingly more to himself than her, "More like a lil' _kitty-cat_." His shadowed eyes focused wickedly on her, his smile stretching to the corners.

He was trying to goad her into answering him.

Despite her fear and agitation, she kept her mouth firmly closed, making it clear she wasn't going to answer him or fall prey to his taunts.

"Not much of a talker are ya?" the pirate pursed his lips in a mock-pout before the playful smile was back on his lips, "Tell me one thing at least," he paused before continuing, his voice deep and smooth, "Tell me, little _kitty_, what have ya been doin' to me?"

Doing to HIM? He was the one that had been chasing her up and down the Isle.

"I don't know what you're talking about," her voice was deceptively confident, "_I_ haven't done anything to _you_." The insinuation was clear. And if that wasn't enough, the daggers shooting from her eyes should get the point across.

"Oh so you do talk" he exclaimed cheerily.

His facial features quickly switched to mock-pain, as if she had wounded him.

"Haven't done anything to me?" His voice and lips might have been smiling, but that wild look in his eyes scared her, "Is that what you call it?"

Call_ what?_

Cassie's eyes flicked to the wooden board. He was now a solid yard from it.

She had to keep talking.

There was no way she was physically overpowering this pirate. If she was going to get out of this at all she had to use what she had and avoid a fight. She had no doubt in her mind that if it came to a physical altercation she would not come out on top. He had a whole head of height on her and radiated confidence and strength. He certainly acted like he had never lost a fight before. If it was at all possible she just wanted to go home and avoid any fighting. Her father had always taught her that at her size running was the best option. However, if flight was impossible Cassie was prepared to fight her way out tooth and nail.

"Call what?" she echoed her earlier thought, hoping to keep him moving away from the exit. She also hoped to finally start making sense of whatever he was talking about.

The pirate looked honestly puzzled. His pale blue eyes were searching her face for something. She watched as his smile was replaced by a troubled frown.

"What's yer game?" he finally said, his frown deepening, "You've been pullin' me around the whole Isle for weeks, now yer pretending ya have no idea what's going on."

Cassie's temper kicked in at that, her face flushing with heat, "So you _were_ the one chasing me everywhere!" Her inner reason warned her that she didn't want to anger him, that he was dangerous, but the confirmation that he was the one who had been making her miserable was too much. She could feel a growl starting in her throat as she took a defensive crouch.

The pirate's confusion only doubled.

Cassie watched with surprise as he stepped forward again and leaned in. His eyes scrutinized her face carefully. Finally after what felt like much longer than it actually was he said slowly, "Who are you?"

To say she had no clue what was going on was an understatement and honestly she was starting to get annoyed with this whole confusing conversation. She was in no mood to answer his questions or tell him any more about herself than she needed to.

"What do you want?" she hadn't even realized she'd said it until the words had already passed her lips.

A slow smile took the pirate's handsome face, "Right now, jus' yer name love."

She balked at the idea of that being all he wanted.

"And if I refuse to tell you?" She challenged, taking a bold step forward and crossing her arms. Her eyes flicked to the exit again, he was closer but so was the exit and the gap between him and the exit was growing. He now was the same distance from the exit and her.

"Ya don' want to do that, love," the pirate warned firmly, brandishing his hook at her.

"It's Cassie." she said quickly, regretting the words as soon as they left her lips.

"Huh," the pirate considered the word, "Cassie, I like it, suits ya." His whole persona shifted then. His gaze was heavily locked on her. His pale eyes scanned her admiringly, as if matching the name to her. His eyes raked up and down her form with satisfaction, "You are quite somethin' to look at." he hummed to himself, but she heard it all the same. Maybe he'd meant for her to. She couldn't tell.

His eyes flicked back up to her own brown orbs and she felt her face heat under the stunningly intense gaze.

He took another step towards her, careful to move slowly this time. His shadowed blue orbs smoldered with fierce focus. They felt like magnets drawing her in.

"Now, I'm not quite buyin' that you don' know what yer doin'. So tell me, _Cassie_" the way his honeyed voice said her name felt _different_, alluring, "How do I stop this pull ya have on me?"

Cassie hadn't realized how close she had been to taking a step forward until his question broke the trance she'd fallen into. _'He's dangerous.'_ her inner voice apprised. Everything about him had been drawing her in slowly over this conversation. It was as though his whole body was one big magnet designed specifically for her.

_Pull?_

Her eyes flicked to the exit, he was only a few feet away from her now. The gap between him and the exit should be enough, if she could just get him distracted or off-balance somehow.

This time it was his turn to bare his fangs, instead of a growl there was a complete reverse in his external aura. Alluring blue eyes darkened to where the color was barely visible.

"How." what had once been a honeyed voice became impatient. She showed no intention to answer him.

His widened stance was no longer inviting, but obviously hostile. His taut muscles made him seem impossible to pass.

"You'd best answer me little kitty," he pointed his wicked hook at her, his impatience turning his voice harsh, "It seems a waste to kill somethin' so pretty but if I can't get answers from you, then I'll _hook_ ya an' see if _that_ solves the problem."

_Not good._

If Cassie actual was a cat then her tail would be between her legs right now. The thought of him actually 'hooking' her sent a shiver down her spine and made the little hairs on her body stand on end. This pirate was erratic and confusing. That someone so dangerous could be that charming was completely unfair. Somehow during their little chat he had managed to make her forget how much danger she was in, but it came back full-force when she saw him brandish his hook.

Her eyes flicked to the exit. He was far enough away, she just needed an opening to make her run for it.

He seemed unstable, easy to anger, maybe that was the trick. Without knowing anything about him though it would be tough.

Her eyes scanned the man. He wasn't lacking in confidence and it was obvious that calling him ugly wouldn't be convincing to either of them. She'd need something else. Something _personal_. His hook stood out to her.

_Of course!_

It was embarrassing she hadn't connected it earlier. The hook, the pocket watch, the fact that everything about him exuded 'Isle villain' or 'leader.' He was the infamous Captain Hook's son.

Which meant he was much more dangerous than she had originally thought. He wasn't just some two-bit pirate, he was the son of one of the most unstable original villains. "_Hook._" the word escaped her mouth as a hiss.

"Ah, so you know my name." the pirate confirmed, a broad smile taking his lips as he made a dramatic mock-bow, "Yer smart little kitty."

Her defensive stance returned.

Cassie fought through his honeyed words, "And I've heard about you," her eyes drifted meaningfully to his arms and torso, "So it's true," she gave a deep sigh and frowned in mock-sympathy, "you really have no soulmate."

In an instant all the playfulness left his face. He didn't like that.

'_Good_' her inner voice purred.

"Yer tryin' your luck little kitty." he warned her, stretching out his arm to point the wicked hook at her, reminding her just how dangerous he was. Cassie knew she was playing with fire, she had struck a personal cord. It was obvious from that reaction.

This time it was Cassie's turn to take the offensive, "Sore subject?" she cooed, imitating his earlier mock-pout, before putting on a contemplative look, as if something had just come to her.

"Huh, I wonder how your dad felt about it. His son a blank slate," she could see the ire rising in him, the pirate's fingers were clenching his hook so tightly now that his knuckles were white. His eyes so dark she couldn't even see the blue any more.

"Yer playing with fire kitty," he told her darkly, practically quivering with barely kept rage, "I like ya though, so if you drop it now and answer my questions I'll forget about this and let ya go." It would be a tempting offer if Cassie knew how to answer his questions. She didn't though.

"So your dad really didn't like it I guess." she instead concluded. Correctly, if his reaction was any indication.

Her eyes flicked to the exit then to his almost-feral anger. He was almost over the edge. She had to really cut into him with her words if she wanted to get the right reaction out of him.

"It's no surprise really though," she stated as if it was obvious to everyone, "someone as _broken_ as you wouldn't have a soulmate would they?" That was it; the comment that ironically 'broke' the pirate.

Everything happened at once when she played on the biggest insecurity she had only guessed he had. The swing he took at her was primal rage. He was fast, but she was faster. His lunge forward became unstable when he didn't hit his target like she guessed he was counting on. That was her chance!

With a quick duck and a heavy shove to the side of his torso, Cassie took the escape offered to her.

She sprinted with all the strength she had and none of the usual etiquette. Her small legs carried her over the narrow board with surprising speed. In her haste she almost stumbled. She darted past the stalls and entered the maze of streets that littered the Isle. She didn't know where she was from the ground but she ran with everything she had, hoping to run into familiar enough territory. She had hoped he would stay down longer but she could already hear the heavy _thuds_ of his boots coming for her.

"Cassie!"

Hearing the rage as he roared her name sent a cold shiver down her spine, launching her adrenaline to new heights. He was going to kill her if he caught her.

Recalling her father's advice about evading an enemy, she started changing directions erratically, hoping to throw him off. Every street and alley she passed looked the same from the ground. She knew the direction that the inner isle was in but she had lost her way blocks ago. The isle was a dangerous place if you didn't know where you were. The streets and alleys were a jumbled maze and there were dozens of dead ends.

"Cassie!"

Her heart skyrocketed as she heard his rage. A low, feeble sound squeezed out of her when she realized he was still close. She jerked to the left.

Hades, she didn't want to die.

With that thought circling in her mind she ignored the burning in her lungs and the metallic taste at the back of her throat, forcing herself to go further faster. She took a quick right down a long winding alley.

Oh Hades.

A dead end.

_How fitting._

Her eyes instantly went to the walls, looking for some sort of escape. Her eyes caught a hole in the middle of the building to her right, it used to be a window but its glass had been lost long ago. It was too high off the ground for her to reach on her own though.

"Cassie!" she looked over her shoulder, his voice was getting closer. She could hear the sound of his feet echoing off the brick. There was no backtracking.

With a frantic panic she looked for a way to get to that window. She saw a garbage bin. With trembling fingers she positioned it below the window and climbed up. She grabbed the window-frame, ignoring the cut of glass in her palms as she pulled herself up and over.

_CRASH!_

_"Stupid!"_ she hissed.

The garbage can had tipped over as soon as her torso was inside the window-frame. She lowered herself to the ground inside with a soft slap of her shoes on cement. It was an abandoned storage house. Empty metal shelves surrounded her. Her panicked gasps for air were almost deafening as she tried to listen for the pirate. If he found her she would have to fight her way out. She had unwittingly traded one dead end for another. Cassie's eyes scanned the floor and walls. There wasn't much to the place, but there were things laying against the wall and on the floor that hadn't been worth taking or stealing. Her eyes caught sight of a wooden pole, it was long and narrowed as it stretched. She'd never seen anything like it and had no clue what it was for but she impulsively grabbed it, holding the narrower end in her small hands.

Her panicked pants were almost deafening in the empty building.

"Cassie," a low voice chuckled darkly, "I know yer in there."

He was outside.

Cassie hastily moved towards the door, but froze when she heard his feat scuff the gravel directly outside it.

_He was right outside._

She held her breath, afraid he would hear her, and held up her wooden stick, shifting to the shadow of a shelf near the door.

A loud crash nearly startled a noise out of her as he kicked the door. One of the hinges gave way and the door tilted, but it wasn't fully broken off. Cassie was prepared when the next kick came and the door fell off, crashing to the ground with a loud thud and pushing up a large cloud of dust and particles that sparkled faintly in the moonlight.

"I'm goin' to enjoy this little kitty." a small hateful chuckle escaped the pirate as he stood in the door frame.

Cassie could feel electricity coursing through her veins as she waited for him to step inside. Her fingers tightened painfully around the wooden instrument she held.

"Here, kitty, kitty." the deep voice taunted, his footsteps echoing along with a short creak as he stepped onto the fallen door.

Even after he had chased her for weeks, cornered her, and threatened her Cassie hesitated. Despite everything she didn't want to hurt the pirate. Cassie did not get any pleasure from inflicting pain on others and the thought that she could seriously hurt him was honestly sickening. _But what choice did she have?_

With a grim determination Cassie swallowed down the bile in her throat, stood to her full height, held up the wooden pole and—she couldn't do it.

Cassie's determination deflated into the darkness.

She was not a villain. She may have been a prisoner on the Isle of the Lost like the rest of the V.K.s but she was _not_ a villain's kid. Her father hadn't hurt anyone in his life...and neither could she.

It wouldn't save her though. The pirate must have sensed her, though she didn't notice, she hadn't even realized he had turned around.

The pole slipped from her listless hands to the concrete.

She heard the crunch of his boot over the glass that must have belonged to the broken window on the far wall.

Her eyes shot up and caught his blue gaze. His dark eyes were staring at her. Both of them were frozen as if in stasis.

It felt like a hunter and prey who spotted one another at the same time, both frozen, one afraid that if they moved then they would really be seen and the other knowing the slightest movement would make their prey disappear. Cassie knew he saw her though and he knew she was not fast enough to escape him. So why weren't they moving?

Cassie's eyes flicked to the exit. She was right next to it.

His eyes caught the movement though.

Still, he didn't move.

Instead, he looked at her, his eyes drawing her in like pale blue magnets.

"Who are you to me?" His voice was barely a whisper but it carried clear across the room. His words were full of wonder and his eyes held naked yearning for an answer.

She honestly didn't know.

"I don't know." she squeezed out of her throat. Somehow she felt horrible at not being able to give him the answer he wanted. It must have shown, because he didn't follow her.

Her heart ached strangely as she sprinted away and began heading back towards the inner isle.

Who were they to each other?

* * *

So? What did you think? I really struggled with this chapter, re-writing and editing the ship scene over and over again and changing the dialogue trying to make it more fluid.

Btw, the wooden pole Cassie had was a 36 inch pool stick, which didn't seem like something she would have ever come across in her life.

I really look forward to reviews (best part of being an author) and hope to receive some from you!

Guest: Thank you! I am glad that you like my take on SoulMarking!

MaliceMalAmyMalevFaery: I honestly couldn't make up my mind as to who Gil's soulmate should be since the movies never even hinted at him being romantically interested in anyone. I purposely left it vague since it will probably never come up in the story.

SARITA1998: Thank you for your support! I hope you like this chapter as well!

BlueberryBrina: Thank you for that! I really enjoyed that story as well and I found that a lot of the other Harry stories had him written as sort of "fluffy" which felt sort of out of character to me.

Shayde: Thank you for your review! I wrote this story because of how much I loved that story and the Cassie character. I hope that you enjoy this chapter as well!

Thank you to all who reviewed and all who will review in the future! I honestly love reading what you thought and felt while reading what I created!

**_Remember to favorite/review/follow!_**

**_If you follow this story you can know when I post a new chapter!_**

**_Thank you for reading and all the kind words!_**


	3. What happened last night?

**Chapter 3: What happened last night?**

**Authors note: chapters might get a little shorter now as I go back to work. Also, a guest asked why Harry has no SoulMarks, if you are also wondering the question is answered in the bottom.**

* * *

_"Feisty aren't ya?"_

_~...~...~_

_"So it's true," she gave a deep sigh and frowned in mock-sympathy, "you really have no soulmate."_

_"It's no surprise really though," she stated as if it was obvious to everyone, "someone as **broken** as you wouldn't have a soulmate would they?"_

_~...~...~_

_"Who are you to me?"_

_"I don't know," she squeezed out of her throat._

* * *

Pure adrenaline was pulsating in his chest as he stepped into the door frame. What a rush. Harry hadn't had a chase like that in ages, it was almost a shame it would be coming to an end in a moment.

Of course he was going to hook her, but first he was going to play with her.

"Here, kitty, kitty." his deep voice carried into the dark storage building. Harry's voice was simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up. He took a slow step forward, his eyes scanning the back wall and corners for his lost kitty-cat. A short creak came from the fallen door as his weight warped it.

_It was almost a shame to catch her_, he pondered. He kind of liked her; she was feisty. His lips stretched into a crooked smile. _'And she was certainly somethin' to look at.' _his inner voice added. Maybe instead of hooking her he could make a _different_ offer—

In his thoughts he almost missed the sound.

A small exhale of breath, like a disheartened sigh. It came from the direction of the door.

_Smart kitty._ It was his oversight and now he had his back to her, completely open to an attack from behind. Years on the isle should have taught him better than to give openings like this, but something about her had him off-kilter. Harry's breath stilled and evened off.

The attack never came though.

To Harry's surprise he looked over his shoulder to see her, standing there holding a small pool stick. She was completely still, her eyes were in a far off place. It looked like all her fighting-spirit had left her.

The puzzle surrounding her grew even more. What sort of villains kid didn't take such a perfect chance to strike?

The pool stick, which she had previously been holding up like a batter at first base, slowly lowered until the fat end gently clinked to the cement.

Harry's eyebrows knit together. What was going through her daft little mind?

The pole slipped from her listless hands to the concrete. She didn't even flinch at the sound. He recognized then that she was tangled in her own thoughts. Whatever was going through her mind had caused her to drop her weapon and her only real chance at getting away.

'_Well, well, well_' Harry's mind was abuzz with amusement, there was more to this little kitty than he had first thought. A hint of admiration pricked inside his blackened heart. No one who grew up on the isle and reached their age had any sort of mercy left in them, but he had somehow managed to find the only one on the isle. Harry's emotions were a jumble of admiration and something unidentifiable warm and restless.

Harry Hook's interest was thoroughly peaked.

Suddenly her eyes shot up to him. In an unconscious movement he had shifted some glass with his feet and snapped her out of whatever thoughts held her.

He could now see the panic in her eyes.

Harry Hook didn't move.

He had no clue what he wanted to do but he knew that if he moved so would she. So he froze as the gears in his mind worked double-time trying to plan his next step.

A maelstrom of thoughts, feeling, and plans swirled around loudly inside him; none of them really establishing any true shape.

_Oh Hades_, how he wished for the simplicity of hooking her and being done with it, but that voice inside him warned that hooking her would be worse than the maddening pull he had felt to her.

Maybe there was still something, a reason, behind the connection he felt to her. _'Maybe she really could be his...like Uma thought.'_ Even in his own thoughts he didn't dare use the word. His eyes quickly scanned her, hoping to see something on her that gave him an answer. It was fruitless. Under her crop-top jacket, undershirt, and skinny jeans there was practically no visible skin. What was visible outside of her all-black attire was blank skin.

The thought that she was blank like him briefly cross his mind. It was quickly thrown to the side though. Too much of her skin was covered to infer anything.

It felt like he was grasping at straws.

Her eyes flicked to the exit. She was right next to it.

She was considering running.

Everything inside Harry wanted to stop her. His pale blue eyes locked onto her amber-brown orbs. He could feel it, the connection. She was someone special to him.

"Who are you to me?" His voice was barely a whisper, but it carried clear across the room. His words were full of wonder and his eyes held naked yearning for an answer.

Did she feel it too? The way she looked at him it certainly felt like she was being equally drawn to him as he was to her.

"I don't know." she squeezed out of her throat, the briefest twinge of hurt crossed her features.

Those three little words felt like a cannonball had been dropped on his chest. All the air was expelled out of his lungs. The crushing weight made his following breaths shallow.

And then she was gone.

Harry couldn't muster the urge to chase her again. The wind had been blown out of his sails and he felt as empty as sheets with no wind.

It took him a while to even gather the strength to walk back to his ship. When he finally did though, his walk back felt different than other mornings.

What had once been an exhausted, but fulfilled walk back, or even an infuriated storm, had turned into a languid dragging of the feet. The odd glances he got when he finally dragged himself onto the ship and towards his own quarters was quickly forgotten when his eyes fell on his bed.

Only taking time to strip off the necessary items, he quickly rid himself of his belts, sword, boots, and other outwear.

Harry crawled into his bed that morning feeling more drained than ever before. Even back when he was training under his father to become a captain he hadn't felt this sort of soul-emptying, mind-numbing exhaustion. A disgruntled part of him knew that it was in part because he was emotionally exhausted as well, though he would never admit or acknowledge such.

Harry wasn't looking forward to his conversation with his captain. He knew that there was no avoiding her, but he could put it off for a few hours.

~...~...~

Harry woke from his deep slumber with a sudden jerking motion, not knowing what had woken him.

The answer came a few seconds later in the form of a hesitant knock.

The first mate glared at the sunlight beaming through the captain's observatory windows. It didn't matter what hour of the day it was, it was morning to him, and _Hades_ did he hate mornings.

Never one to shirk his duties as first mate though he roused himself out of bed and, upon realizing he had fallen asleep fully clothed, called whoever was knocking in.

Harry wasn't surprised to see the muscular blonde step in; very few pirates knocked so gently.

Any thoughts he might have had of taking out his morning grumpiness on whoever had woken him was quickly shelved as soon as he laid eyes on Gil.

"Hi Harry," the muscular blonde greeted with his usual cheery smile.

"Wha' is it this time?" Harry prompted the son of Gaston, as if he didn't already know what had brought him.

Pleasantries gone, Gil's smile dimmed as he got to the business that had brought him.

"Uma said she wanted an update on last night." That wasn't all though. Gil's sheepish look was as easy to read as a book. Harry knew the other pirate was holding in what he really wanted to ask. No doubt he knew what it was too.

"And? Whatever you're goin' to ask get it out with." Harry again prompted. Absently his eyes searched the floor for a decent change of clothes.

"Uhm, I wanted to know..." Gil sounded like he didn't really know if he wanted to ask his particular question, but the words tumbled out anyway, "You didn't hurt them right?"

Harry grabbed a shirt that looked like it had only been worn once and threw his current one into the corner where Gonzo or Jonas knew to grab laundry from. After quickly jerking the article on he considered Gil's question, "No."

It was a short answer but it was apparently all Gil needed for his clouded expression to evaporate and his smile to return full-force.

"Cool," the dreamy smile was a pleasant change in atmosphere, "Oh, there was more. You should get to the Chip Shoppe when you're ready. Uma said she would be waiting there for you."

Satisfied that he had successfully done what his captain had asked of him and even got his own answers Gil said a quick goodbye and left. Harry had no doubt that the sunny blonde was going back to the Chip Shoppe to report that he had completed his task.

~...~...~

Harry had been right. Gil had gone straight to the Chip Shoppe.

The blonde teen visibly perked up when he spotted Harry dumping his sword into the sword-check barrel.

"Harry!" Gil's smile was pure happiness. The teen was possibly the most positive person Harry had ever met. Sometimes Harry wondered how someone like him had grown up on the Isle. Most V.K.s were mean, cruel, cunning, and vengeful—himself included. Somehow Gil didn't have a single one of those traits. The thick-headed, happy-go-lucky teen often showed he was the opposite of what people expected of Isle kids. While most on the Isle were selfish and hurtful, Gil was often concerned about the well-being of others.

It was with a frown that Harry realized he knew one other person on the Isle that didn't quite fit the mold.

Whoever she was to him, she had shown mercy and an unwillingness to hurt him even at the jeopardy of her own safety.

Harry quickly dismissed that line of thought. The idea of being spared by her was _uncomfortable._

The Chip Shoppe still had customers scattered between the odd assortment of round tables, which meant Uma would be busy for a while longer.

Harry took his usual seat at the bar by the television. Gil moved with his tray to stand beside the taller teen.

"I got you this." the blonde said, pushing the plastic blue tray in front of the first mate. It was the house favorite; fish and chips.

"I didn't know when you would be here," the muscular blonde looked at the tray with a small pursing of his lips, "it's kinda cold. Sorry."

Harry hardly minded. He plucked up a chip right away and began on them.

Gil took the stool beside him. The pirate teen turned in his stool, putting his back to the counter before resting his elbows behind him as he stretched out.

"So..." the blonde drawled.

Harry, to his credit, did not sigh at the other boy's attempt at sounding offhand when it was obvious he was building up to a particular question. Luckily, he had been given food to get through this conversation. A small part of him wondered briefly if that was Gil's plan all along. The thought was just as quickly dismissed; Gil was not known for planning.

"I was wonderin'" Gil pondered as Harry shoved another two soggy potato wedges into his mouth, "What was it like? Ya know, meetin' them."

Harry gave the other teen a long sideways look, the one that usually made the other give up.

Rather than discouraged, his companion used his secret weapon.

"Come on," Gil urged, a big pout and puppy eyes on full display, "please Harry. I haven't met my soulmate yet an' I was wonderin' if ya know, you felt anything special after meeting..." his voice faded but his secret weapon was still aimed, fully loaded, at the notoriously black-hearted first mate.

_'Damn the day Gil discovered that bloody face.' _Harry's inner voice cursed. It wasn't that the look made him feel any sort of sympathy per say, it just irritated him for some reason and Gil knew it. Harry had made a mistake that first time when he had given in just to make the other cut it out. Ever since then Gil pulled that bloody look when he really, really wanted to know something, which was rare.

Knowing that the other teen wouldn't stop until he gave in, Harry gave a deep sigh and grumbled sourly, "I don' know mate. It was," Harry grappled for the word to describe everything it had been. _Frustrating, alluring, magnetic, devastating, _"weird." he decided lamely.

The blonde's eyebrows knit together, "How?"

A snarled of annoyance left the pirate, "It just was—"

"Harry." their captain's voice interjected, "Lets continue this downstairs."

_Thank Hades._

Harry happily left his forgotten food and the conversation behind as he went to follow the teal-haired captain.

The three went down the same route as before, taking their previous positions on the crates and barrels.

Once comfortably seated the teal-haired girl leveled both males with a look, "Nothing leaves this room." This particular statement was followed by a pointed look at Gil.

"Now," she switched her attention to the first mate, "What happened last night?"

It was the question he had expected and had mentally prepared himself for before coming. Taking a deep breath, Harry began narrating the previous night.

* * *

Thank you again for reading and for your support!

**BlueBerryBrina**: To be fair, Harry is a really hard character to write with a lot of contradicting personality traits. With that in mind I hope I do him justice.

**Nightlover77**: Thank you! I hope this update was worth the wait~

**quirkybookworm15**: Thank you, I hope for your continued support!

**SARITA1998**: Thank you for saying that. The boat scene was so difficult to write.

**Guest:** Thank you for asking. Yes, there is a _**reason that Harry does not have any SoulMarks**_. It's inferred and explained in the foreword of the first chapter that for SoulMarks to appear the person (in this case Cassie) needs to be **called** something and she would also need to **take it to heart**. Think of it as magic through spoken word if that helps. Now, since Cassie has been living such a secluded life and has been avoiding contact with anyone other than her father (who died when she was 14) she has not been called anything that could become a SoulMark. Though never explicitly stated in the story, this is the reason he does not have any SoulMarks. As an additional note, her father was careful to avoid calling Cassie anything that could become a SoulMark as well. His motivation was that he wanted for her to avoid the pain he experienced because of soulmates, thus he hoped to give her other half as few clues as possible. Now, this combination of events has led to a very, very rare situation where one soulmate has blank skin into their teens.

**_Remember to favorite/review/follow!_**

**_If you follow this story you can know when I post a new chapter!_**

**_Thank you for reading and all the kind words!_**


	4. No, no, no

**Author's Note:**

_Hello my lovely readers! Thank you for sticking with me and this story! I look forward to reading your reviews/thoughts on this chapter!_

**ALSO-****Important SoulMark information**** I forgot to add (I will go back to chapter 1 and add it for future readers).**

_When SoulMarks appear there are two different physical reactions, depending on the quality of the word. Negative words will appear with a burning sensation, while neutral or positive words appear in a much more subtle manner. The sensation of neutral or positive words appearing can be described as a warm tingling or itch (depending on who you ask). This adds another layer of division between Auradon and the Isle of the Lost since most of the words that litter the Isle residents are negative and most of the words on Auradonians are positive or neutral. Many Isle residents are bitter about this difference, believing it yet another unfair Auradon privilege._

**Warning:**

Panic attack (idk just covering my bases)

* * *

**Chapter 4: No, no, no**

"_So it's true," she gave a deep sigh and frowned in mock-sympathy, "you really have no soulmate."_

"_It's no surprise really though," she stated as if it was obvious to everyone, "someone as __**broken**__ as you wouldn't have a soulmate would they?"_

"_Who are you to me?"_

"_I don't know," she squeezed out of her throat._

~...~...~

Cassie roused from her nap, blinking at the late evening colors that flittered through the multiple-colored window panes of Mal's old room in Bargain Castle.

Last night, despite the adrenaline and fear that had plagued her, she had fallen asleep almost as soon as she had placed her head on the pillow.

Briefly she wondered if it was all just a bad dream. The cuts on her palms however proved that it had all been all too real. All the memories flooded back to her and the last bit of sleepiness was shocked out of her. She had almost died.

She had been so full of adrenaline last night that she hadn't even felt the glass digging into her palms as she pulled herself through that broken window. It made itself known to her now though as the stinging feeling sent prickles up and down her palm and forearm.

That took priority Cassie decided, pushing the creeping memories and thoughts about last night to the back of her mind. Anything to not have to think about last night. It was a distraction that wouldn't last but all the same she would grab at it. She was self-aware enough to know the feelings and emotions from last night were still too fresh. If she tried to recall last night's events now, that same fear would crawl up her spine again.

So it was with grim determination that Cassie went to Mal's private bathroom. It had seemed strange at first, one person getting a whole bathroom designated just to them. It had certainly taken some getting used to, but after a while Cassie had begun to see the benefit in it. The bathroom was spray-painted as well, just like the walls of the bedroom. Images and icons that represented the core four artfully covered the walls along with Mal's signature "long live evil."

Running her hands under the sink brought a hiss of pain from the small-framed girl. The cuts weren't terribly deep, they would heal in a week or so, which was one bright spot. Cassie turned to the cabinet with her trembling hands and fumbled around as she groped awkwardly for the large bandages or gauze, whichever she found first.

The water had re-opened her wounds and bright red, watered-down blood dripped down onto the white porcelain of the sink and slid back down her wrist and forearm as she searched. She would have to wipe that up—after the bandages though. It was awkward and a little clumsy, but Cassie got her hands properly bandaged up and then shifted her focus to the wet feeling under her jacket sleeves. She grabbed the damp rag she had used to clean up her palms.

Rag in hand, Cassie carefully pushed up the sleeves, mindful not to wipe the blood up with her jacket sleeves but to simply push the sleeves up to her elbow.

"Oh shit." Cassie's brown eyes zeroed in on her right forearm.

Stretching out from her inner elbow in dark blood red font was a new word, and she recognized it.

She heard her own words echo loudly, as if it was echoing off of the porcelain walls and tile floors.

"_It's no surprise really though, someone as __**broken**__ as you wouldn't have a soulmate would they?"_

~...~...~

After hearing a full recount of the events of the previous night Uma pursed her lips thoughtfully as she mulled over the details in her head. A lot had been said, but nothing illuminated.

"So," the captain spoke in a nonchalant tone as she reiterated for clarity, "you didn't figure out what the connection between you and her is?"

A shake of her first mate's head affirmed what she had thought.

That left one question, "Did you see any SoulMarks?" Uma didn't know whether it would be better if Harry's mystery girl did have any or not. If the girl, Cassie apparently, did have any then a large part of her hoped that they indicated that her first mate was somehow her match—and if she didn't have any then maybe they were still a match. Two blank-slates were rare, but it could happen.

Another shake from her first mate's head though, "She was covered head to toe in black," the first mate rubbed at the back of his neck, having to reach his fingers under his jacket and shirt collar to massage at the place where his neck and back connected. Uma and Gil watched the tall brunette's eyebrows scrunch together in thought as he recalled her outfit, "She had some headband with cat ears on."

"Huh." Uma said thoughtfully. That was...interesting. This new detail, in addition to his earlier description of her general appearance, painted a pretty clear picture. Unfortunately the description didn't match anyone she had ever seen.

Still no answers found.

"Well," her patience was wearing thin with all these dead-ends, "What _did_ you find out?"

Harry's face soured at her tone, but he let it glide past him instead of responding to it.

"I don' think she's doin' it on purpose, maybe she's not even doin' it at all," at his captain's and Gil's puzzled looks Harry elaborated, "She acted all surprised like she had no clue what I was talkin' about an' I got the sense she wasn't faking."

Uma didn't even know what to make of that, but she accepted it with a nod. Her first mate's instincts were sharp and he was rarely wrong when it came to this sort of thing.

This time Gil spoke his thoughts, "So, what are you going to do?" Gil's usually chipper attitude was weighed down by the possibly serious ramifications that Harry's answer could have, "Can we recruit her?" came his hopeful suggestion.

While Uma's eyebrow raised in thoughtful consideration, Harry's eyebrows drew together with troubled thoughts. Harry didn't get to voice his thoughts though as Uma spoke up first.

"No," came her surprising answer, followed swiftly by, "not until we know more about her." The two boys could see the gears grinding away in her expression.

"An' how are we supposed to do that?" Harry was the first to challenge that idea, "I followed that little kitty all around the inner isle, she's impossible to track." Uma didn't miss the slight tinge of pride in Harry's voice when he said that last bit.

"So we don't try to _follow_ her." Uma countered, "Someone on the Isle has to know her." understanding crossed the two males' features and it was with a sense of pride at her own plan that Uma continued, "We'll start sending word out, asking around, until we find whoever knows something about this 'kitty' of yours."

~...~...~

The panic developed gradually and almost imperceptibly.

The more she stared at the new addition to her upper forearm the more she could feel the panic growing, until finally it spilled out.

"No, no, no, no" she shook her head, her eyes locked onto the word. _Her_ word.

_**Broken**_

Every detail about him and last night overwhelmed her in a surge of scattered thoughts and memories. The first memory to come to her had the strongest emotional imprint. It was with a shiver down her spine that she remembered the panic of running away, hearing him roar her name furiously. _**Scary**_.

He had threatened to hook her. She remembered the SoulMark on her right shoulder; _**Murderer**_.

He had hunted her and when he found her in that storage building he had even seemed to have enjoyed the hunt. _**Sadistic**_.

_Hades_, he was Captain Hook's son. _**Pirate**_.

_'No, no, no, no, no,'_ her mind chanted. This didn't make any sense. He was known for not having any SoulMarks. The evidence was stacking up though, beyond coincidence.

Cassie tried recalling her SoulMarks looking for some discrepancy.

_**Handsome**_. Even in her panic she couldn't deny that.

_**Flirt. Man-whore.**_ He had flirted with her, like a cat playing with its food. If she wasn't so panicked Cassie might have had enough humor to snort at that. Her soulmate had flirted with her.

With shame she realized she had liked it. The attention had felt good and she had been drawn to him for some reason she didn't understand at the time. Well now she understood.

Her mind came to the SoulMarks that wrapped around her upper arm like a tribal tattoo and stretched from her ribs to her hip respectively: _**First Mate**_ and _**Second Best**_. Did those match him? She clenched her eyes shut against the nausea that circled around her head. Cassie recalled the first night she had seen him. He was standing beside the female captain. He wasn't the captain but someone in her inner circle. _Would that be a first mate? _That sounded right. It made sense. If he wasn't the captain then he was the second closest thing to captain.

Her soulmate was a madman. _The_ Captain Hook's son. She could feel all the heat drain from her body at that thought.

_Oh Hades,_ her father was right. Soulmates were dangerous.

"No, no, no." she began scrubbing at her right forearm with the damp, bloodied rag, willing the word to be erased by her frantic movements. _This couldn't be real. _She added more pressure to her scrubbing, ignoring the burning rubs.

Her breath was becoming erratic and short, nearing hyperventilation. Cassie's heart was racing so much her chest hurt. Her heart pounded against her eardrums until that was all she could hear. It felt like the room was warping and twisting around her. Her head was spinning and felt light. It didn't even feel like she was attached to the floor anymore. _Was she swaying?_ She certainly didn't feel like she was standing still. Cassie couldn't tell anymore.

It was with sickening nausea that Cassie realized she was having a panic attack. Her short breathes were becoming full-blown hyperventilation.

_Oh Hades._ Her eyes raced to the word that was still on her right forearm. She gripped at it with her left hand, covering and squeezing where the word was.

It felt like she was being smothered.

She couldn't breathe.

Cassie hunched over, quickly crumbling to her knees as she gasped for air. Panic gripped at her, trembling her core and nauseating her whole self. She was so dizzy, Cassie was on her side now, her temple against the cool tile floor. The whole room was spinning still, it was somehow even more nauseating from this angle. The tile and porcelain swirled together and swam in her vision.

The thought that she couldn't breathe gripped her and ran on repeat as she felt pain burn through her lungs.

Even as she took rapid, shallow breathes she could only think how she was being suffocated.

Black dots began to appear in her vision, stark against the white porcelain, they were tiny at first but quickly grew until darkness filled her entire vision.

With her vision gone, Cassie's other senses were heightened. The rapid intake and exhale of her breath filled her ears. Cassie tried to ignore that. Instead she focused on the feel of the cool tile under her. Slowly, in what felt like a lifetime, her symptoms began to gradually fade away. First her physical symptoms. Slowly her vision unclouded and her nausea passed. Her breath began to change from full-blown hyperventilation to ragged, sloppy breathes. Her chest and abdomen ached, but she could feel her breathes reaching all the way to her lungs. Every part of her body and soul felt both tired and tense.

Her whole face felt moist from her ragged breathes and what she assumed were tears.

The fear and anxiety did not go away though. It lingered and floated above her exhausted form. It was controlled for the time being, but by no means conquered.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_**As someone who has had a panic attack or two, I felt the need to warn you ahead of time since I described it in detail. I know for a fact that if I hadn't been so lucky as to of had someone nearby snap me out of my attacks each time, I probably would have passed out. We're going to say Cassie is made of tougher stuff than me.**_

**Review recognition time:**

Lottielue1: I'm so glad you find my story so interesting! She is definitely an enigma-one he plans to unravel. Also! Coincidentally she has just figured it out~ Though I think it is safe to say she did not take the news well.

SARITA1998: Thank you for being a repeat commenter! I'm glad that my explanation cleared up any confusion that there might have been around that subject.

Historic Soldier: Ooooh, I really want to answer your question but I can't without giving spoilers-but it is safe to say that at some point Harry will get a SoulMark.

GreatBigBookofEverything: Thank you so much! I really do love hearing what people think of my story, thank you for reviewing~

**_Remember to favorite/review/follow!_**

**_If you follow this story you can know when I post a new chapter!_**

**_Thank you for reading and all the kind words!_**


	5. Cat ears you say?

_**Hello my lovelies! I am so happy to read the reviews I get after each new chapter! Thank you and please continue to support me! If you missed it, I edited the ending of Chapter 4. It doesn't change the story but it does have a more satisfying feel in my opinion.**_

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**Chapter 5: Cat ears you say?**

Harry sat at the Chip Shoppe bar absentmindedly shoving soggy potato wedges into his mouth as his mind wandered.

Ever since their meeting a few nights ago Harry had found it increasingly difficult to keep his mind from drifting to a certain someone.

He still had no clue who she was to him but a part of him that he had thought he had lost years ago held hope that she really was connected to him. Either that or he was losing his mind.

He gave a derisive scoff, being a blank-slate _and_ losing his mind would just be too much.

No, he much preferred the idea that she was something special. She certainly _felt_ special. In the short encounter he had with her she had shown herself to be unlike any other Isle kid. She was feisty enough alright, a corner of his lip lifted up into a lopsided smirk, but she also wasn't willing to hurt him.

Harry knew this is where his ego might be getting away with itself, but he liked to think she just didn't want to hurt _him_.

Though her words certainly gave nothing of the sort away.

With a frown he recalled the cutting words she had used to get him off-balance enough for him to attack and her to escape.

_'It's no surprise really though, someone as **broken** as you wouldn't have a soulmate would they?'_

_Broken._ His lips turned into a dark frown.

Harry had struggled with the idea that something inside him was broken for years, ever since he realized he truly was that 0.001 percent without a soulmate. And she had zeroed in on and dug into that particular insecurity with pin-point accuracy. Oh it had stung, but a small part of him was begrudgingly proud of her for it.

She might be above physical violence but evidently the kitty still had claws.

She had read and played him perfectly. Not too many people could say they could do that.

He wished he could say the same.

Over the past few days Uma had sent a few crew members into the inner isle to ask around about his little kitty. So far they had been unsuccessful though. Either she had lived a very secluded life or she had an unreasonable amount of loyalty from the inner isle residents. He found that second prospect unlikely.

How someone lived on the Isle their whole lives without anyone knowing who they were or even seeing them was a mystery he had yet to unravel. She obviously got supplies from the Goblin's Wharf when the new shipments came in, but that was only once every two weeks. He would have to wait a whole week to try that tactic again. What did she do with the rest of her time? Surely she didn't spend it alone.

A small frown. Harry felt an unfamiliar feeling at the thought of that. Surely not...

Even the worse of villains had companions.

The more he thought about it the more he felt like he was still chasing a ghost.

"Hey Harry."

Harry turned in his seat and looked up at Gil who was beaming down at him.

"Gil." Harry offer by way of greeting as the blonde took the stool beside him.

"You were thinking about Cassie again right?" how the thick-headed blonde managed to deduce that was beyond Harry, "Have ya found her yet?"

"No." Harry's frown deepened.

"If ya want we could see if any of the people I know have heard of her." Gil offered.

"Sure Gil," Harry grunted, doubting anything would come of it.

~...~...~

Outside of the center of the Isle and to the south was a two story narrow building with a red door. Above the door hung an unlit neon sign that read _Queen of Hearts' Salon._

Inside the walls were decorated, or rather covered, with an assortment of thick and rich red and black drapes. The interior was surprisingly clean. There were big mirrors with leather high chairs in front of them and shelves filled with jars right below each mirror. The floor was designed to look like a chessboard.

A tall beauty was standing behind a client, measuring carefully with her thin fingers before snipping strands of hair, when a new customer entered. The daughter of the Queen of Hearts was certainly nothing like what any who hadn't seen her would imagine. The queen's daughter, Elizabeth or more commonly Lizzie, had a beautiful heart-shaped face. She smiled politely at the customer who had just entered. She had clear ivory skin, pronounced cheekbones, and striking ruby-red lips. Her fair-skin was perfectly framed by the darkest brown hair that was set in tight curls that flowed from the ponytail at the crown of her head. She wore a red leather corset that had her spilling out of the top and a black choker with a heart-shaped faux-ruby dangling from it. Her hips were perfectly hugged by a black pleated mini-skirt. Heart stockings covered the skin from her skirt to her knee-high black boots.

She directed the new customer to take a seat and said she would get to them next. A stylish black leather jacket rested on an empty high chair, presumably hers. The customer passed this chair. Instead opting to take the one beside it.

Something about being a hairdresser, people talked to her. Her mother had taught her this was a valuable asset. The Queen compared it to how, before being banished and imprisoned on the Isle, she used to receive regular reports on her kingdom and subjects from her information committee and advisers. In a similar way Lizzie always knew whatever was going on around the Isle. Every bit of gossip and news came to her through her customers. Today, however, something very interesting came to her.

"Pirates are everywhere." She heard her new customer, Claudine Frollo, grumble with an air of indignant superiority as Lizzie came to stand beside her. Claudine had medium length brown hair with straight bangs that required trimming from time to time to keep them out of her eyes, which made her a regular and very familiar to Lizzie. Claudine's character was defined by the same pride and intolerance her father was known for.

The news that pirates were in the Inner Isle could hardly be considered news anymore.

"Oh?" Lizzie offered her usual indifferent prompting as she placed the smock around Claudine's torso.

"They seem to be looking for someone." Well, that was new at least.

"Who?" Lizzie pursed her ruby-red lips as she held Claudine's bangs between her index and middle fingers, measuring and positioning the hair.

"I do not know." Claudine spoke imperiously in her usual rigid tone, then continued as if to justify her lack of knowledge, "no one seems to know."

Lizzie raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow at what she assumed was one of Claudine's exaggerations. The girl didn't catch it but simply continued with a sense of self-importance, "They asked me. Apparently some girl running around with cat ears must have made enemies with the wrong pirate."

"Cat ears?" Lizzie echoed with interest. Lizzie got a sparkle in her eyes. Now _that_ was interesting...

Claudine did not seem to notice the other girl's interest, "Yes cat ears. How childish. Can you imagine a grown..." Claudine's disapproving judgments passed over Lizzie's head as the tall beauty considered the possible implications.

_Cat ears..._

Her mother would certainly be interested in this particular piece of information as soon as she was back from her tea with the Evil Queen.

"What else did they say?" Lizzie interrupted Claudine's rant as soon as the girl finished her latest sentence.

At the interruption Claudine pressed her lips together in a frown of disapproval. However she held too much pride in her manners to not answer a direct question, "They said she went by 'Cassie,' I believe they described her as having brown hair and eyes. They also detailed that she wears all black." Claudine's own clothing was mostly black, with accents of white here and there. If the Isle had such things, someone could mistake her for a priest or a nun with her somber attitude and rigid morals, though her morals were by no means flawless.

Yes, her mother would certainly want to hear about this.

If she was right and this was possibly the daughter of her mother's most hated enemy, then Lizzie had quite the bargaining chip.

~...~...~

It came as no surprise to Harry that asking Gil's older brothers, Gaston Jr. and Gaston the third, didn't produce anything. The Gastons' were not known for being a fount of knowledge. The two brawny twins were more like their father than Gil. Unlike their younger brother Gil, the twins excelled in vanity and actually _did_ have a mean-streak in them. They, along with Ginny Gothel, Anthony Tremaine, and Mad Maddy, made up the Fearsome Five.

After leaving _Gaston's Duels Without Rules_, Harry followed Gil around as he visited various shops, asking the same questions and getting the same answers. No one had heard of anyone fitting Cassie's description. Gil brought Harry out of the center of the Isle and to the the southern part of the Isle.

The two stopped in front of a red door. Harry looked up to see an unlit neon sign that read _Queen of Hearts' Salon._

Harry tilted his head slightly as he looked at his friend. The happy-go-lucky teen gave a reassuring smile and opened the door, motioning for Harry to enter first. The tall, fair-skinned teen paused momentarily but entered.

The first thing that the pirate noted, other than the Queen's signature colors everywhere, was the sense that the drapes were hiding something. Other than the drapes and the black and white checkered floor, the salon looked like any other on the isle. Maybe a little nicer than usual considering that the seats actually looked comfortable and the floors were swept clean.

From what he heard the Queen of Hearts was an older heavy-set women with an explosive temper and a penchant for ordering executions over petty crimes and mistakes. She had been a tyrant in her time as ruler and though she was no queen on the Isle of the Lost she had made a reputation of herself. A reputation written in blood.

"Is there a reason we're in this mad wanker's salon?" Harry hissed at Gil. He had a bad feeling about this. Harry didn't know where the feeling came from, sure the queen was right mad but he wasn't scared of her. Something inside of him was warning him that him being there wasn't a good idea though.

Before the blonde could answer him or Harry could urge his companion to leave with him, the two boys heard a feminine voice exclaim excitedly "Gil!"

A tall beauty appeared from behind one of the red curtains. Harry raised an eyebrow at her appearance. The daughter of the Queen of Hearts was certainly nothing like he had imagined. A girl with an attractive heart-shaped face smiled broadly at the blonde beside him. She was a picture, unlike her mother. Harry wondered where she got the looks from and vaguely recalled that the late-king had been considered handsome in his time. Perhaps that was where...

Though she did get some of her mother's features; the heart-shaped face and widows peek along with her ivory skin and dark hair were definitely from her mother. But her figure was lean, curvy, and tall—unlike the short and plump Queen. She had her father's defined cheekbones and obviously got her height and weight from his side of the family.

Harry watched nonplussed as Gil rushed to lift the girl, or rather woman, into the air and twirled her once before gently placing the giggling beauty back onto the checkered floor.

To Harry's confusion Gil asked excitedly, "Is he awake?"

The beauty smiled wearily in response, "I just put him down and don't you dare wake him up." She leveled him with a stern look.

Vaguely Harry recalled that Gil had once mentioned that he was an uncle. He had neglected to mention however that his nephew's mother was the daughter of the Queen of Hearts.

"What are you doing here Gil? Gaston Jr. didn't say anything about you coming here." she didn't seem angry that they had arrived unannounced, rather she seemed pleasantly surprised if the grin on her ruby-red lips was anything to go by. Harry assumed from context clues that Gaston Jr. was the father.

"Harry an' I are looking for someone." Gil gave as explanation, this caused the woman to look at the first mate for the first time. She seemed surprised at his presence. A small frown darkened her ruby-red lips, but when she turned back to Gil her smile quickly returned.

"A friend of yours?" she asked of the blonde.

At this the blonde turned squirmish, not quite knowing how much he was allowed to say in response.

"Just someone we ran into." Harry offered, "She-" he grappled for the right phrasing when Gil interjected this time, "No one knows who she is Lizzie. We were hoping that maybe you had heard something about her from your customers."

Harry dimly realized that a salon would be a perfect place to collect information on all the Isle residents.

"Hmm," she pursed her painted lips in consideration as her eyes flicked over to Harry and then back to Gil, "Well, if it will help you Gil. Who is she?"

Harry took this question, "She's about this high," he measured her height, holding his hand flat to around his shoulder's height, "brown hair, brown eyes. She wears all black and has custom-made lookin' cat ears. She goes by Cassie."

"Cat ears you say?" Lizzie's eyes seemed to spark with something behind them.

"Aye." Harry had a strange feeling looking at that spark in her eyes.

"Where have you seen her?" Lizzie asked.

Harry paused, the feeling inside of him practically screaming now. His own suspicion at the question deepened. Harry had no intention of answering, Gil however had no such feelings or thoughts.

"We think she's in the Inner Isle." the blonde responded with ease. Harry's features pinched in chagrin. _Gil..._

"Have you seen her?" Harry followed up, hoping that for once his feelings were wrong and that it didn't matter.

"Seen her? No." Lizzie answered promptly, quickly followed by what Harry thought was a bone-chilling giggle. However that wasn't the end of her thought, "But my mother, she might know something, she runs the salon more than me these days. She's not here right now though. She's having tea with the Evil Queen."

Well, it was better than they usually got.

Gil didn't look so sure though, Harry noted.

"Okay," Gil seemed nervous at the mention of the Queen of Hearts, "Uh, can _you_ ask her?"

Lizzie giggled at Gil's apprehension, "I'll ask her first thing she gets back. If anything comes up I'll make sure Gaston Jr. tells you."

Visibly relieved Gil smiled tentatively, "Thanks Lizzie."

After some more small talk between Gil and Lizzie, the two boys finally left and began their way back to the Lost Revenge.

Somehow Harry couldn't shake the feeling that talking to her wasn't the right thing. He got the sense she hadn't told them everything she knew.

* * *

**Author's Note:** _So if you are familiar with Helena from Here Kitty Kitty by BabyBearxox: though I have incorporated some similarities such as her relationship with Gaston Jr and them having a baby, I would say that Elizabeth's personality is different. Elizabeth's mother is still very much alive though her father has passed._

**Review Recognition:**

**Historic Soldier:** _You had three questions! Wonderful! 1) Harriet, CJ, and Captain James Hook do in fact exist in this world/story but in the outer edges. At this point they will not be included in the story except in possible flashbacks. 2) Harry lives on the Lost Revenge in the Captain's Quarters. That might lead you to ask where Uma lives-still at the Chip Shoppe with her mother. Uma recognized that though she has the title of 'Captain' she does not know much about running a ship or being a pirate captain which is where she leans heavily on Harry who takes care of a lot of the day to day tasks that a captain normally would take care of. 3) I believe this third one was answered in this chapter._

**SARITA1998: **_Thank you! You will have to wait a bit longer until Harry comes to that realization. _

**Lottielue1:** _After your review I did some research and got mixed answers, some saying it is impossible because of the blood pressure others saying it is possible because of the hyperventilation and because the brain can shut the body down in response to certain emotional events etc. Thank you for bringing that up, I did take your comment as an opportunity to perfect chapter four's ending just a little more._

**GreatBigBookofEverything:** _Thank you so much for your __review~ I love reading what readers think of the stories I write. To answer your question Cassie does NOT know Mal. When the events of Descendants 1 left Bargain Castle raided but empty, she just recognized an opportunity and took it. She moved it figuring that Mal would never return._

**_Remember to favorite/review/follow!_**

**_If you follow this story you can know when I post a new chapter!_**

**_Thank you for reading and all the kind words!_**


	6. Looking for me?

**I have been sick for the last week so I apologize in advance for any typos I might have missed. I gave it as thorough a read-through as I can with my head in its current condition. If you see a typo, let me know and I will fix it.**

**Otherwise, your reviews are the best medicine I could ask for. Thank you for the continued love and support~**

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**Chapter 6: Looking for me?**

Cassie removed the bandages from her hands, frowning down at the fresh red tissue on her palms. The wound had tightened the skin on her palms uncomfortably. Without the proper use of her hands Cassie had kept indoors for the past week.

Tonight would be her first night back out with her newest wounds mostly healed. She would have to take it slow but she should be fine.

Cassie stepped out onto the balcony and mentally picked a direction for tonight's walk.

The little cat was eager to get out of her self-imposed prison. Without the luxury of her night walks the little cat had spent too long with her own thoughts. She had spent considerable time coming to terms with the fact that she had met her soulmate. She had also been trying to grapple with the mix of scary and alluring that he was. The fact that someone that crazy was that charming was just not fair. She hated herself for those moments when she had allowed herself to be distracted by him despite how dangerous her situation had been. Harry Hook was her personal brand of catnip and because of that he was even scarier.

Cassie maneuvered herself off the balcony and towards the ledge leading to the board she used to cross to the nearby rooftop. She felt the cool night air caress the uncovered parts of her skin. With the night air came a welcome prickle to her exposed skin. The moon was in the third quarter phase, which meant there would be enough light for her but also extra shadows for herself, as well as others, to hide in. A scary thought after last week, but hardly enough to deter her from her first taste of freedom in a week.

Over the past week she had kept her ears to the chatter outside of the castle and she knew the pirates were asking about her. What she didn't know was _why_.

The thought crossed Cassie's mind that _he_ could have realized she was his soulmate. The idea caused a shiver to run down her spine that had nothing to do with the cool night air. If he realized, if he somehow got a SoulMark since they last met, then he would never leave her alone. He would hunt her down and capture her. Beyond that though, Cassie knew that his asking around was dangerous for a different reason.

There was a reason she only came out at night. A good reason.

Though everything she had been hiding from, all of her father's warnings, would not matter if she was captured and turned into her soulmate's personal caged pet.

_No_. Tonight would be _her_ night.

With a renewed courage Cassie took her first steps and crossed the narrow board, beginning her night walk.

_'This would be like it used to,'_ Cassie determined, shoving down all the doubts and anxiety attempting to dishearten her. _'No running, no Hook, just the night air.'_

Cassie always did love night walks, there was something inexplicably calming about being out in the open and yet still concealed. Her father had told her of the old mischief and tricks he had pulled before being thrown on the Isle. When she was young she used to dream of being able to disappear like he had described. He had always made it sound so _freeing_. Cassie did not have to wonder why night walks were her favorite. Though she could not do real magic on the Isle, at night, hidden in plain sight, she could pretend for a little while. Cassie knew it was the closest she would ever get to the magic her father had done and although that brought a tinge of sadness she knew that it was unavoidable.

Cassie stopped at the end of the rooftop she was currently on. Her eyes scanned the blackness peacefully as she listened for the typical sounds of nighttime on the isle. She could hear the off-tune singing of drunkards from what she knew was a tavern below her. A few slightly-inebriated customers staggered out while she watched, listening to the conversation they held.

Of course her father had told her other stories too...

Stories of a foul-tempered monarch who he had described as 'a blind and aimless fury.' He had told her of how the tyrant was quick to give death sentences at the slightest offense. _Oh, and how she had wished him dead more than anything._ The queen had ordered him executed numerous times, however her father had always outsmarted the queen and her executioner. Even now Cassie could recall her late-father's laughter at recounting how he had baffled them by making his body disappear. The executioner simply could not figure out how to behead a bodiless cat—and when he disappeared, oh how the queen fumed venom.

A small smile crept onto Cassie's lips.

She missed him.

Maybe if he were still here he could tell her what to do.

If he were still here he could tell her how to protect herself.

As it was, Cassie only had herself to depend on.

She hoped she was up to the job.

~...~...~

The next night her walk carried her to the eastern edge of the inner isle, where she could sit on the ledge of a tall clock tower and watch the activities below. People-watching was one of Cassie's hobbies that she developed after her father passed. It kept her grounded.

She would usually be sitting there observing the speech, body language, expressions, clothes, and activities of the Isle residents below—looking for habits and trying to guess at their story. Tonight though her mind was too full of her own worries to indulge in her usual hobby of observing Isle residents and their interactions.

Cassie knew that she needed to figure out an alternative way of getting food. Now that her soulmate knew she frequented the Goblin's Wharf he could plan to ambush her there anytime there was a shipment.

The problem however was that the alternative routes were all risky and none of them would keep her in the shadows. If she wanted to avoid Hook however she would have to.

With a small frown Cassie considered her options. She had quickly crossed off trying to sneak into homes or lift food from people on the street. Night time was when most residents were assured to be in their homes and lifting food from those who were on the street at night was too dangerous and unreliable for her tastes.

That left the places where she knew food would accumulate. There were the obvious places such as the restaurants. The Slop Shop sold a variety of expired and used food from Auradon and was run by the goblins themselves. Unfortunately it was always occupied since it was run 24/7. Frollo's Creperie was the home of Claude and Claudine Frollo and where the two sold crepes for food. However it was too close to Bargain Castle. She got the sense that stealing from close to home would be a mistake. Shan Yu's Dim Sums was to the east, far from her home, but his home as well as his restaurant were vehemently protected by him and his seven loyal Huns. Cassie wasn't even going to consider Ursula's Fish and Chips, the known hangout of the Lost Revenge's crew.

Outside of restaurants there was three other places where food accumulated: all of them schools. Even on the Isle school lunches were offered, at an unreasonable price but offered regardless. The Isle's three schools were: the Witch School, Serpent Prep, and Dragon Hall.

Since Serpent Prep was where most pirates sent their children Cassie decided that it would be best to not choose that one. Dragon Hall was the biggest school and where most of the villains sent their children. Dragon Hall was an old tomb that had been re-purposed to act as a school. She had heard students talking about the lower levels that seemed to go on and on. It was located in the middle of a graveyard of course. Cassie's face pinched at the distaste of some villains. That left the Witch School, it was where the formerly magical parents sent their children. Cassie had never understood the purpose of a school that taught magic, since nothing they learned could be of any use thanks to the barrier. Witches without magic might not be _too scary_ of a place.

With that decided Cassie let the matter go for the time being. She would case the place another night, for tonight though she had enough to eat and was in no hurry.

She wouldn't have to do any of this if it hadn't been for her soulmate bond. The little cat scowled down at where she knew her SoulMarks were below the black fabric. If he hadn't followed her to the wharf she would still be getting her supplies there. But he had followed her. Cassie had no doubt that he would be keeping a watchful eye on the wharf shipments in the future too. Well, he could wait all he wanted. She wouldn't be coming.

~...~...~

Harry sat at his captain's desk, hunched over his 'pet-project.' It was obvious to him now that asking around was not yielding any results. Whoever Cassie was, she was private.

_'Or a ghost,' _his mind taunted. Surely Harry wasn't the only one on the _whole_ Isle to have seen the little kitty. In the face of results, or in this case lack-thereof, he couldn't deny that it would certainly seem that way.

The more days that passed without any word of Cassie the more Harry got strange looks from the crew. Odd looks that made the first mate scowl with disdain. They thought he was mad—and why wouldn't they? After all, it has long been said that Tick-Tock had driven his father insane. Here Harry was chasing a girl who no one else on the Isle had ever seen or even heard of. Even he would think he had gone off the deep end.

Gil might still believe Harry without evidence but Uma was too factual to blindly believe in something she could not see or feel herself. He wondered how long it would take until her concerned looks became less about how he felt and more like the looks he was already receiving from most of the crew.

He certainly hadn't thought it would be this difficult to find her...

His eyes scanned the map of the isle. A tangled mess of lines covered the Inner Isle. His eyes were drawn to the two lines to and from the Goblin's Wharf. The shipment day was nearing but not soon enough for him.

With a deep sigh the pirate ran his fingers through his mess of brown hair.

The Goblin's Wharf and Inner Isle were the only leads he had. The only two connections he had made. The more he thought about it the less he liked it. If she was smart, and Harry got the feeling that she was, then she wouldn't return so quickly to the Goblin's Wharf.

A thought occurred to him. Asking the goblins would be a waste of time, but maybe someone around the wharf had seen her. Though Harry mentally mapped plans for following that idea through, he also suspected it would be as fruitless as their earlier searches.

He may have been amused by this little cat and mouse game at first, but with each day he grew more anxious to know the answers he had not gotten. He was positively starving to unravel her mystery. Everything about her was as unknown as distant oceans to him and just as appealing.

Harry couldn't describe what he wanted from her with words if he tried. He had long since licked his wounds from their last encounter, though a small bit of his pride demanded retribution. It was odd, Harry's temper was notorious, but it was not revenge he wanted. What he desired was immaterial and more difficult to pin down. Trying to identify what he wanted from her was like trying to capture fog in a glass jar.

No, for now it was best to sum it up as Harry simply wanted to unravel her mysteries.

~...~...~

Though it was stupid, incredibly, unreasonably, stupid Cassie couldn't help but wonder if Hook's son would wait for her at the Wharf. The thought had started off innocently enough. She had enjoyed the thought of leaving her enemy and soulmate out in the cold waiting to spring a trap on someone who would never come. She thought he deserved to wait. Slowly she began to wonder how long he would wait before giving up. Maybe it was that she was lonely, maybe it was that he was the first person she'd talked to since her father had passed. She knew she needed to not care. Maybe it was because she knew he was her soulmate, but she found it difficult to not think about.

Cassie was all too familiar with the old proverb 'curiosity killed the cat' but that didn't change the fact that she was far too curious for her own good.

When the night of the shipment rolled around, Cassie's curiosity had not diminished. In fact, she had thought about that pirate being at the Wharf waiting for her so much that it felt like she would be missing an appointment, although there was no promise he was there. The thought that it was not a sure thing that he would be there was what she used to justify herself. After all, it would be a terrible waste to avoid the Goblin's Wharf if him being there the first time was a fluke. It didn't matter that she knew full-well that it was most definitely not a fluke.

Cassie didn't wander around or take a long drawn out evasive path to the wharf this time, which meant she didn't have long to second-guess herself before she was on the rooftops skirting the edge of the wharf.

The little cat stood still for a minute, wondering where would be the best place for someone to hide for an ambush, when something inside of her began drawing her thoughts to a certain direction. She turned her head to the left. It felt like there was an invisible force pulling her in that direction. With a certain clarity of mind, Cassie followed that wordless whisper until she was on top of a narrow triple story building. The tiles of the building were old and not firmly in place. It was obvious that no one lived in it, it was probably a storage building or abandoned for some reason she noted.

The feeling had pulled her to the right spot, she realized with bewilderment as she looked down into the alley below. At first she didn't see him, there was a fire escape in the way, blocking her view. It was only when he shuffled and cursed under his breath that she realized where he was. Standing there at the corner, eyes fixed towards the wharf was the pirate.

A cat's smile curled the corner of her lips.

"Looking for me?"

* * *

**Review Recognition:**

_**Historic Soldier:** Human's can actually keep their sanity for surprisingly long even when completely isolated from others. Cassie is in the heart of a city/Isle and not isolated. She isn't having direct social interactions but she does get indirect social interactions when she people watches on her night walks. It's similar to how television stories are a form of indirect social interaction. You learn about social etiquette, relationships, etc just by watching even though you are not directly participating. _

_**SARITA1998:** Yeaaaaah, her luck will get worse before it gets better._

_**Lottielue1:** I appreciate that you enjoy the depth that the characters' relationships adds to the story. Indeed Gil, along with a few others, will have their loyalties tested in this story. _

_**GreatBigBookofEverything:** I appreciate the continued support!_

**Remember to favorite/review/follow!**

**If you follow this story you can know when I post a new chapter!**

**Thank you for reading and all the kind words!**


	7. I Am Not Lonely

**Thank you for reading and remember to leave a review please! **

**Without any further ado...the story.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: I. Am Not. Lonely.**

_A cat's smile curled the corner of her lips._

_"Looking for me?"_

~...~...~

At first Harry couldn't place where the voice had come from. His eyes scanned the alley behind him looking for the girl he knew it belonged to. However, the first mate only saw dark empty space. If he was hearing her voice in empty alleyways maybe he really was going around the bend.

That thought was quickly dissolved when a small giggle floated down to his ears. Bewildered the pirate quickly looked up to find amber-brown eyes staring down at him behind an amused grin.

Harry couldn't help the wry smile that formed on his lips. It would appear he was no longer the hunter.

"I didn't think you'd show." he called up. His eyes scanned the rickety looking fire escape that separated him from her.

She raised a single brown eyebrow, "And I knew _you_ would."

"Well," His voice was filled with hues of amusement, his accent heavy in his mirth. _She was as smart as he had thought, though perhaps a bit foolish,_ "Then why did ya come, luv? Miss me since last we met?"

"Hardly" Cassie scoffed, even if a part of her knew that much was true, she wasn't ready or willing to admit that much to him. So instead she replied, "You could say I was curious." It was true enough anyway.

"Tha' makes two of us little kitty." the pirate examined her lean form as she came to sit dangerously on the edge of the building, her legs dangling over the alleyway. Looking at her so comfortable up there on the roof it suddenly occurred to him why his little ghost had been able to evade him so easily. What had appeared like going through walls and buildings to him had actually been her using the roofs.

Despite knowing the answer his first question was fairly straight-forward to his current thoughts, "Is that how you evaded me all this time? Runnin' on roofs?" It was almost laughable that he had not seen it for what it was. Instead he had fixated on the idea he was chasing a 'ghost.'

The little cat frowned at him and returned his question with her own.

"Why have you been asking about me?" Cassie's amber-brown eyes were smoldering with practiced-scorn at him. He thought it a rather lovely look on her.

"What's a fellow to do?" Harry's grin was positively irresistible, "I didn't know how else to show I cared luv."

He watched with amusement as she blinked with surprise before realizing Harry was playing with her. A beautiful blush dusted her cheeks as she wrinkled her nose with distaste.

"It'd be a pity if ya fell," Harry tried coaxing gently, "Why don' you come down so we can talk properly?"

The little cat's face pinched in distrust, remembering both their last encounter and his dangerous allure. "If it's all the same to you," she said in a sarcastic tone that left no doubt that she detested the idea of coming down, "I will stay up here."

"An' if I decide to come up?" Hook proposed, though looking at the fire escape he wasn't sure he had the will to actually attempt it. Regardless he got his answer promptly.

"Then you'll never see me again."

Hook found it interesting that her statement felt like a threat to him.

It also frustrated him that he knew she had him in a deadlock—and if the triumphant look on her face was anything to judge by, she knew it too.

Emboldened by her small victory, the cat straightened her back and demanded again, "Why have you been asking about me?"

Hook's smile grew slowly, mockingly, as he tutted and clicked his tongue at her, "I won't answer any of your questions until you answer some of mine."

A silence filled the space between them as Cassie's eyes flitted around the empty alley and over the pirate below her. Finally she came to an idea that she thought would satisfy them both, "Why don't we play twenty questions then? I ask something and you answer, then you ask and I answer." It was fairly straightforward and simple. Cassie could remember playing the game with her father when she was little.

However, at the suggestion, the pirate below burst into laughter rather suddenly, "That's a wee girls game." he jeered.

Her amber-brown eyes narrowed indignantly at the pirate. Her jaw clenched and her lips became a thin line of disapproval. His laughter stopped as abruptly as it had begun. Slowly she saw scrutiny crossing his face as he considered her proposal.

_'Twenty questions, eh?'_ a thoughtful look crossed his face. He could make that work for him.

"You've got a deal. Twenty questions it is then," Harry said and Cassie released muscles she didn't know she had been holding, "One small problem though." Instantly the tension was back in the little cat. Her nerves on end. Harry found it rather amusing how easily she could be wound up despite trying to appear otherwise.

"_Little kitty,_" Harry called up, obviously enjoying the little nickname he had come up with for her, "Are we to play at this distance?" he asked up to the girl on the rooftop, "The angle's hell on me neck." He punctuated this by rubbing at his neck. It wasn't false, he had to crane his neck fully back just to see her.

He could see her considering what he'd said, apparently torn between the temptation of answers and the fear of approaching him.

It became physically apparent which feeling won tonight as he watched her push off with her arms and jump onto the fire escape yards below her. The metal gave a sickening creak when her slight weight landed on the steel grating platform. He watched her take the stairs down to the bottom level of the escape. Even at her new height she was floating above him, her feet just above his eye-level. It was a concession though and he would have to take what she had offered.

"Well then, my lady" Hook gave a sardonic bow, "_I am yours._" The suggestive inflection he gave that last bit was not lost on her. Even in the darkness of night, with only a sliver of the moon to light her face, Hook could see the uncomfortable squirm and blush his words caused. It pleased him immensely.

By now he had come to expect the first question when she asked, "Why have you been asking about me?"

Harry considered the girl standing above him, she was wearing the same outfit that covered up all of the telling areas of skin. Tonight her hair was done in a loose braid over her right shoulder and her amber-brown eyes seemed to almost glow in the moonlight.

"I wanted to find you." he answered and when the little cat opened her mouth to say something else, he cut her off, "My turn."

Cassie frowned at him. Clearly irritated that he was offering her as little as possible while still sticking to the rules of the 'game.' After all, Cassie had not said anything about having to give detailed responses.

Harry considered his questions, before finally deciding to ask, "How did you find me?"

Her amber-brown eye filled with apprehension, "I...felt a pull." she answered, "My turn." she said quickly before asking "Why did you 'want to find me'?"

Harry considered how to answer that. Personally he was curious about her, he felt like she was someone special to him and he wanted to know why. On the other hand Uma had actually been the one to order the men to search for people who knew her.

"My captain ordered it." he decided was the answer he was more willing to give. Her face scrunched up in frustration again, knowing he had given yet another vague answer and that she would have to answer another question of his before getting her next answer.

Harry digested her previous answer slowly. She had felt the pull too. Did that mean she felt as drawn to him as he felt to her? Though the first mate hated to admit it, she had occupied a considerable portion of his thoughts as of late. Now, looking at her, he couldn't help wondering if she had been thinking about him just as much.

As Harry considered his next question, Cassie frowned down at the man below her. He was taking longer to ask his next question, which she assumed meant he had found something of value in her answer. She sat down, back to the brick of the building exterior. Her mind filled with trepidation, sensing the direction his next question could take.

From this distance she didn't have to look down as much to see him and the smaller details of his face were more visible. His pale blue eyes were fixed on the empty space in front of him as he considered his next question. Cassie took this time to examine her soulmate's face. He was handsome. She couldn't deny that. Her eyes scanned from his chaotic raven-brown hair down to his eyes. The light-blue gemstone-colored eyes were framed by thin lines of ashen black again. The effect was admittedly both powerful and mysteriously attractive. The combination of his espresso colored hair and light blue eyes was also striking. The lines of his face was sharp and strong. Everything about him was attractive to her. When those stunning blue eyes lifted back up to her own, she knew he had made up his mind.

"Do you have a SoulMark?" he asked. She could practically hear the weight of the question.

Looking her soulmate in the eyes, she wondered if he could read her thoughts as she answered.

"Yes." With that one word she felt like she was admitting he was her soulmate. She watched as a myriad of unreadable emotions crossed his face.

Cassie shifted her line of questioning, "Are you able to get your captain to call off the search?"

She saw those pale blue eyes widen and then narrow, his brows scrunching together, "Why?" came his question back.

"You didn't answer my question." Cassie replied.

Harry frowned but obliged her, "Probably. I want to know why it's so important to you that we stop askin'."

Cassie's own frown matched his. She wasn't sure she trusted him enough to tell him who would want to hurt her, all the same she had to answer him if she wanted her own answers. She was far too curious for her own good.

"I have people who are dangerous to me." she said with finality.

Harry pursed his lips at her answer. _'People who are dangerous' to her._

"Why does your captain want to find me?" the little cat asked next.

"She wants to know more about you before considering recruiting you." He took great delight in seeing her eyes widened incredulously before narrowing in suspicion.

"You're lying to me." She accused, her amber-brown orbs flaring with distrust, "Why would your captain want to recruit me?"

"I'm not, and I believe it's my turn to ask a question luv." his honey-sweet voice was colored by the smirk on his lips. Cassie made a noise at the back of her throat, somewhere between a growl and a grumble, before rolling her eyes and conceding his turn to him.

"Now then..." If she had a SoulMark then she wasn't a blank-slate like him and she was bonded to someone. Would she know who? "Who is your soulmate?"

Interestingly he could see her eyes widen marginally before her whole body tensed, "What does it matter to you?" she asked defensively, the color draining from her as anxiety ate at her insides. That was one question she definitely did not want to answer.

"It doesn't," Harry watched as the tension in her somehow became even more tightly wound, "Tell me anyway."

"I don't know." Cassie forced out. She could tell the first mate didn't believe her and that make her tension turn to slight-nausea. Cassie got to her feat, mentally preparing to leave even run if she had to.

Harry Hook frowned. He knew she was lying but he also knew from her new stance that she was about to end this conversation. Whoever her soulmate was she was going to protect that secret. He hardly blamed her. Soulmates in the wrong hands could be leverage, a weakness to be exploited.

"Never mind then," Harry said gruffly, catching her eyes once more, "I don't really want to hear about them anyway. What about you?"

Her amber-brown eyes were focusing slowly on him, questioning him "What about me?" she asked.

"Tell me about yourself. What do you do for fun?" his smile was wickedly charming, "_Other than_ steal from the goblins."

Cassie scrunched her eyebrows together, unclear what he hoped to get from his new question.

"I..." Cassie hesitated, unsure what to say, "I go on night walks around the Isle." She hadn't expected him to ask her about herself, "I people-watch mostly; I look for habits, try and guess at relationships from body language and stuff..." she trailed off, feeling lame.

"Huh." Hook looked interested but was obviously waiting for her to ask her question.

"Why would your captain want to recruit me?"

"Hmmm" Harry hummed, causing the little cat to stiffen apprehensively as he took a step closer. The fire escape still separated them but Cassie knew he could easily jump and pull the ladder down.

"It's less about what _Uma_ wants and more about what _I want._" Harry watched with open satisfaction as she shivered at his last two words. Something she had said earlier though struck him, "Does that mean you only come out at night? Why?"

Cassie frowned, "That's two questions."

"Okay," Harry revised, "_Why_ do you only come out at night?"

Cassie's frown deepened. Answered that question fully could be very telling. In truth she came out only at night because it was what her father taught her to do. He had explained the reasoning once, stating that in order to live peacefully and stay alive they had to avoid being seen by others.

"Because my father told me to." she instead answered. It wasn't a lie, simply not the whole of the story.

Harry seemed to know this and frowned but conceded.

"What would you do if you had a soulmate?"

She barely registered the thought before the question had slipped from her lips. If she could take it back she would have. Instead she looked up into those pale gemstone eyes and saw a flash of silent pain before they broke away from her and stared elsewhere.

"I don' know." A rueful scoff, "It hardly matters thinking about it." His voice was deep and even, with a tinge of pain and irony carrying his words. He hadn't gotten angry like she had feared, instead he seemed...a little broken.

"Yer...different." Harry mused, his gemstone eyes lifting to hold her. Under their gaze Cassie grew self-conscious of all the locations of her SoulMarks. _Were they all covered properly?_

His next statement felt like a physical attack to her.

"What you described though. It sounds lonely."

In the face of that Cassie could feel her mental barriers snap back into place, she hadn't even realized she had dropped them.

"That's not a question." she spat, her words almost a hiss.

Harry gave a sympathetic frown—an expression that she wouldn't have expected, "I'm not trying to insult you. I'm right though aren't I? Yer lonely." His voice was soft like velvet and warm like cinnamon, "You don't have to be."

Those words sent a shiver to her soul.

A moment later though an indignant rage burned in her. '_How dare he say that.' her mind seethed. _Even though, deep inside, she couldn't deny the truth of the word she was loath to admit it to anyone. She had been struggling with that feeling since her father had passed when she was 14. It had become such a defining part of her and she hated it.

"I. Am Not. Lonely." Cassie hissed vehemently. Her own emotions were a violent storm inside of her as she battled the overwhelming need to defend herself from his statement and the sickening hope his last words lit in her. Enraged amber-brown orbs flashed luminescent yellow and for a moment her vision abruptly shifted. During the brief moments of that shift, the alley's shadows evaporated as though a spotlight had been cast on them before shifting back into their usual darkness.

She didn't have time to think though as the next few minutes happened so quickly.

She watched as Harry hissed in pain and clutched at his chest. In the next horrify moment of clarity both of them looked down to his see-through shredded shirt. There on his chest scrolled in matching font to her own the word _**Lonely**_ appeared right above his heart. Cassie knew what the appearance of that word meant for him and she knew what the location of the word meant for her.

Pale gemstone eyes stared at her in disbelief, as though Cassie had grown a second head. She wish she had. Instead the proverbial cat was out of the bag.

"You." Harry's voice hardly reached her, "You're..." The disbelief in his voice carried to his eyes.

Cassie's own eyes were still locked with his pale gemstones as she took a step back.

"No." she whispered. Her fears had been confirmed right in front of her very eyes.

With his guard down those pale orbs conveyed his feelings so clearly that Cassie wished she could look away. She watched, held prisoner by them, as years of hurt and self-hatred flashed in his eyes before the pain just fell away, giving way to something akin to hope.

Cassie cursed her curiosity. Everything her father had ingrained in her urged her to run, even as she was held captive by those pale blue eyes that spoke of untold gifts and an unbreakable bond. Her father had been fooled by that promise and it had cost him deeply.

Her thoughts were broken when both her forearms burned where she knew her SoulMarks were. Cassie hissed as she frantically pushed up her sleeves to see the two marks fade letter by letter as if being wiped out by an invisible hand. She stared at the blank skin with shock as both _**Damaged goods**_ and _**Broken**_ completely disappeared, leaving a burning sensation behind in their absence.

Cassie looked up. Harry had seen the words vanish and his shock matched her own. However under the fresh shock, there was something lighter, softer—and infinitely more scary to Cassie. The amber-eyed girl felt frantic, like a wild cat caught in a cage. He knew.

He knew. He knew. _He knew._ Cassie grew more wild with fear as this phrase ran around her brain.

"Cassie." Harry's voice was like thunder and rain. He took a step towards her.

"No!" Cassie's hand reached for the railing to the stairs, her mind was a frenzy in panic.

Harry froze, both his hands held out before him, as if he was trying to calm a wild animal.

"Cassie," he repeated carefully this time, "How 'bout you come down now little kitty?" Harry's smile was pure honey and temptation but she could see in his soft blue eyes that he was just as frantic to keep her from running as she was to run.

He didn't understand why she was reacting the way she was, but what he'd seen—it left no doubt. They were soulmates. The very fact that he had a soulmate was amazing and he was desperate to keep her from disappearing again.

"You could join us." Harry offered, his slightly-straining voice reaffirming his earnestness. She could hear that he meant it; he _wanted_ her to join him. "Uma would let you in if I asked. If you were with us you'd be safe from anyone who'd wan' to hurt ya."

Cassie, despite everything, considered it. As part of Uma's crew she wouldn't have to hide. Surrounded by the crew of the Lost Revenge, even the Queen of Hearts couldn't touch her. But that would only last so long. She couldn't always be surrounded. No, they couldn't protect her every minute of her life. Eventually the Queen would find an opening. It was a gilded cage at best.

Harry watched with baited breath as Cassie paused, considering his offer. Then her amber-brown eyes flicked between him and the stairs—and his heart sunk.

"Cassie!" she heard his voice shout as she fled. And although his shout broke her heart into jagged little pieces she kept running.

"Damn it! Cassie!" she could hear the loud creak and bang of the fire escape ladder being pulled down and the metallic clang of boots on the rickety fire escape stairs. Each footstep caused the metal to vibrate just enough to make the pirate nervous about the escape's structural integrity.

She was on the next building down the line by the time he got to the top of the previous roof.

"Bloody 'ell" She heard him hiss in aggravation as he spotted her, "Cassie!"

He was faster, but she was more sure-footed.

While she stepped with speed and purpose, knowing each rooftop and every step in front of and behind her, his run was halting, wrought with the fear of falling. Harry was pointedly ignoring all the sirens in his head as he chased after her. He wrestled against his fear of heights for each step.

Finally she came to the end of the row of rooftops. The gap ahead was an alley's width wide and she had done it a hundred times.

Cassie didn't hesitate, she went into a full sprint and at the last moment she pushed up with all her strength. Her feet fell securely on the ledge of the building, her hands grabbed at the roof out in front of her propelling her forward into a sprint.

Harry had faltered when he got to the ledge and skid to a rushed stop.

Cassie looked back and came to a stop halfway to the next roof. The look in his eyes was pure devastation.

They locked eyes, his own pale blue eyes asking the unsaid 'why' and her amber-brown eyes answered his eyes with their own sadness. It hurt her to see him like that. She got the sense that he was rarely vulnerable but in that very moment it was the only word that could describe him.

"I'm sorry." she whispered, hoping her words were enough but knowing they never would be.

After that she didn't slow when she heard him call her name. Even at the frantic quality in his voice and the curses, she kept running.

That was where he lost her.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

_Man, this chapter was both very difficult and very easy to write. I revised the wording and dialogue a lot to get the proper feelings across. I hope you liked it!_

_I am curious how you all think Harry will react now that he knows the truth, especially in light of seeing Cassie's reaction. _

**REVIEW RECOGNITION:**

_**Historic Soldier:** And I love the support! I know that they are not always together, this story is more of a slow burn since the relationship needs to be built from the bottom up. Thank you for always commenting!_

_**GreatBigBookofEverything:** I really appreciate your comment! I was really hoping that those things all came across well and I am glad to see that (at least with some) they have. I really wanted to try my hand at reluctant-soulmates/enemy-to-friends-to lovers. _

_**SARITA1998:** Well, they definitely met, and then some...but for now their relationship remains less than ideal. I hope that regardless you enjoyed and it was worth the wait!_

_**Lottielue1:** I stopped there because I love teasing cliffhangers, and that was simply too perfect a stopping point to pass on. Thank you for your well-wishes, I am already on the mend. Being a substitute teacher I am sure I will be sick again though..._

**Remember to favorite/review/follow!**

**If you follow this story you can know when I post a new chapter!**

**Thank you for reading and all the kind words!**


	8. Did you know about this one?

**Enjoy! Make sure to review at the end! Man, my heart was really warmed by how many of you expressed feeling heartbreak when reading the last chapter! Thank you so much!**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Did you know about this one?**

By the time Harry made his way off that roof and to the Lost Revenge it was the start of morning twilight. The sun had not yet peeked above the eastern horizon. Sunlight scattered off the atmosphere, casting its light into the sky. It was probably going to be a beautiful sunrise in half an hours time, not that Harry was in any sort of mood to appreciate it.

It was as though he was walking through a thick fog.

Even through the fog Harry guarded his SoulMark zealously as he walked, keeping the six-letter word hidden under his jacket. It was hardly a necessary step since everyone on the Isle and the ship alike were asleep in the small hours of the morning.

Somewhere inside of him he knew he should be jumping for joy, elated that what he had only dreamed of had actually happened. He had a soulmate. The joy of it was soured though by the fact that his soulmate had _bloody_ run away from him. Mixed in with his euphoria were wells of heartache and spikes of indignant outrage.

When he reached the security of his cabin, and only then, did he remove his clothing so that he could look at his skin.

First his jacket, then his shirt, then the excess outerwear until Harry could see every letter of the word perfectly. It still felt unreal. But looking down, it was irrefutable. Stark vivid red letters stood out against his light skin.

Harry recognized the writing as his own and the dark, blood red was definitely to his liking. It was beautiful and sad all at once. Briefly Harry felt regret as he contemplated the mirror. He would need to replace it as soon as possible for the future. The back was a common area for SoulMarks to appear. He wondered if he would be getting more in the future. Until then he would have to check whatever parts of his skin were visible to him without the aid of a mirror.

He ran his fingers over the word, testing the feel of the skin. Physically it felt no different from the surrounding skin, but there was a ghost of a shiver that ran down his soul when he felt the word. There was a phantom sensitivity to that area of his skin that there had not been before.

Briefly he wondered what it would feel like if she were to touch it. Would the feeling be stronger? This was all so new and strange.

Harry almost didn't believe it.

He had a soulmate.

Him.

What he'd seen though—it left no doubt. They were soulmates.

He placed his hand over his heart, concealing the word. Even without looking he could clearly visualize it.

_**Lonely**_.

The depth of which he couldn't fathom. Harry Hook had heard enough about SoulMarks to know that the location of his particular SoulMark was important. A SoulMark on the heart was the most central, the most defining...and on his heart was the word 'lonely.'

It was enough to bring a sympathetic frown from the calloused pirate.

He knew what loneliness felt like. In some measuring degree he had always felt it. His whole life he had thought he was left out of that fairy tale that others had. He was left on the outside, with no hope of ever having his own promised one. Before becoming part of Uma's crew, Harry had felt alienated from everything and everyone. Being a blank-slate had felt like a physical separation between him and every other person. He had felt isolated, unheard, and disconnected from others. However, even at his darkest he had not allowed the loneliness to define him.

But his SoulMark spoke of a loneliness that was too much for someone to bare alone.

_**Lonely.**_

His soulmate was lonely to the core. From the sound of things, she had been for a while—why though? She had SoulMarks. He had recognized the ones on her forearms. One was new, from their first meeting_, _but the other—_**Damaged Goods—**_that was from his father back when he couldn't have been much older than eleven or twelve. Which meant she had known she had a soulmate since she was little. It also meant she had known about _him_ since their first meeting.

Even though Harry wanted to be angry at her, resent that she had somehow left him blank alone, he knew that she had been lonelier. Why had she not looked for him?

Better still—why had she run away from him?

He still didn't understand why she had reacted the way she did.

Harry used to fantasize about meeting his soulmate. In none of those fantasies did he ever imagine them running away. A frustrated groan formed in his throat as he ran his fingers through his chaotic raven-brown hair. The teen dropped on the bed with his full weight. He had just found his soulmate and she had made it painfully clear what she thought of their bond—and it was not positive. If she wanted he could probably search the isle ten times over and never find her.

The first mate's chest became warm with frustration.

How was he going to find her again?

Harry looked around his room, looking for somewhere to vent his frustrations. His eyes fell on what remained of the broken mirror and his heart sunk, the frustration popping like a bubble.

He had felt such self-hatred and despair. Why? Why had she allowed him to believe that he was a blank-slate for all that time? Had she even looked for him? He refused to believe that there was no reason. He _needed_ there to be a reason. If there was a reason then he could solve it, he could remove it. But if there was no reason, no obstacle, then that meant...

_She just didn't want him._

He could feel his heart lodge painfully in his throat. It was possible. As painful as it would be to face it, it was possible that being bonded to him was not something she wanted—that he was not what she wanted. Afterall, it would not be the first time someone had been disappointed by their soulmate. History books had countless stories of royalty who had rejected their lower-class soulmates. Did she really not want him?

Harry frowned at the thought, realizing he was dangerously close to going down a dark spiral. The teen made up his mind to drop that line of thought. Needing an instant redirection, Harry redressed, this time with one of his shirts that was dark and not see-through, and prepared to head to Ursula's Fish and Chips.

The first mate knew sleep was a lost cause on him. He also knew he needed advice and a friend.

~...~...~

Harry wandered into the empty restaurant and out of pure muscle memory went through the motions of checking his sword. All the usual swagger and strength was gone as he wove through the variety of tables and made his way to his seat at the counter. It was still early, far too early for the pirate crowd that this restaurant catered to. Which meant it would a while before Uma got up to prepare for the late-lunch crowd.

He lost track of time as he sat in that seat, staring at the scarred wood of the counter in front of him.

His thoughts were entirely centered around the conversation he had with his soulmate. During their 'game' they had both been as vague as possible but he had still learned some things about her. On top of what he had learned about her from his first run-in, he had learned she was curious to a fault. The little kitty didn't seem to be able to resist her curiosity either. Despite this she was smart. She had figured him out and used that to get answers. She also was in danger. That piece of information was probably the most important. There was someone on the Isle who wanted to hurt his little kitty. He recalled how she had wanted them to stop looking for her—or at least to stop asking about her. In light of the previous piece of information this made sense. If she was being hunted then them asking around could be stirring things up for her. That might also explain why she only came out at night and why no one seemed to have met her. If all of this was connected then Harry understood why she was so lonely. She had spent her life hiding from something wicked and hidden herself away hoping it would never find her.

If he could he wanted to help her. Harry was far from a hero but this little kitty, Cassie...He couldn't tolerate the idea of her living the rest of her life alone like that.

All of this still did not illuminate _why_ she had run from him.

That question seemed to have no answer yet. Her apology ran through his mind. Was something forcing her to run or was there yet another reason she was sorry? Perhaps the more obvious reason being that she was saying sorry because she did not want him.

Every now and then he pulled at the collar of his shirt, checking to just make sure the SoulMark was really there and that it hadn't disappeared. It was during one of these moments that Harry felt a blow to the back of his head. Instantly irritation filled him. Who would dare—

"Yer daft if you think—" his threat was cut short when his eyes fell on the small blue-haired female before him, "Uma."

"No, continue to tell me what I am." mirth sparkled in her brown eyes as a sly smile curled her lips.

Harry frowned at his captain's antics.

"I need to talk ta ya." he stated severely.

The small-framed captain rose a perfectly shaped eyebrow but upon seeing the look in her first mate's eyes she nodded with decisiveness. Years together had taught her how to read his expressions and she knew when he was deadly serious. Sensing that this was a conversation best not interrupted Uma led him down to the restaurant's storage room.

"Now what is it—"

Uma had just looked away for a moment to take her seat. However, as soon as she looked at her first mate her eyes bulged in surprise. Harry's jacket was already thrown on the ground and he was grabbing at his shirt, beginning to strip off that layer of clothing as well. The young captain jumped back to her feet.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" if her voice sounded an octave higher than usual no one would fault her for it.

"Don't get yer knickers in a twist Captain," Harry answered her but continued to wrestle the shirt over his head, "I'm _taken_."

Uma, ever mindful, zeroed in on that last word. Harry had called himself a lot of things over the years, most of them things that made her roll her eyes, but he had never once called himself 'taken.'

And then she saw why.

Surprise was not vivid enough a word to describe what she felt as she looked at the dark, blood red word that was resting right over her best friend's heart.

"Is that..." her hand snaked out, wishing to inspect it and test its authenticity. A moment later she drew her hand back, resisted her inquisitive instinct to touch the word.

"Aye." the smile on her friend's face was warm and sad all at once. Still she could see he was visibly relieved to be showing her.

Once she palmed her way through her initial surprise and focused on the content of the SoulMark she came to understand the sadness in his smile. _**Lonely.**_

"Was it her?" Uma didn't have to say her name, they both knew who she meant.

"Aye." Uma had never seen that warmth or softness in Harry's eyes before, "Cassie." She didn't think he even knew he had said the name. Uma pursed her lips thoughtfully as she walked closer to inspect the SoulMark. She recognized her first mate's handwriting. Her eyes scanned the rest of his torso looking for any other SoulMarks before she circled around to his back. A small breath of air left her as her eyes fell on the nape of his neck.

"Did you know about this one?"

* * *

**Shameless Cliffhanger. Thank you all for the support and words of love!**

**Author's Note:**

**Fun fact: this SoulMark has been planned as far back as Chapter 4! **

It is hinted at in the below passage (though obviously I did not expect anyone to pick that up before now)

_Another shake from her first mate's head though, "She was covered head to toe in black," the first mate rubbed at the back of his neck, having to reach his fingers under his jacket and shirt collar to massage at the place where his neck and back connected. Uma and Gil watched the tall brunette's eyebrows scrunch together in thought as he recalled her outfit, "She had some headband with cat ears on."_

**Review Recognition:**

**Lottielue1:** _Thank you for your comment again! It truly was heartbreaking for me to write. I have a habit of putting my characters through heartbreak/angst._

**Historic Solider:**_ I'm glad you loved the chapter!_

**SARITA1998:** _I am so glad that my story gave you such emotions! I love hearing that~ I hope you continue to love the future chapters! I like that you wonder how far Harry will go so she is with him. In a way, that is a great question for this story. Not one I can actually answer at this point, but one I look forward to slowly unraveling._

**GreatBigBookofEverything:** _Awww your comment was so kind! Thank you! I really appreciate that you like the effort I have put into building their relationship slowly and the thought I put into the the SoulMarks appearing/disappearing. I think it would have been profoundly difficult to quantify how much it affected him in words so I chose instead to use actions to get the feelings across._

**Alessandra.12:** _Thank you for your comment! I am glad you liked it!_

Guest: _Thank you! To hear someone binge-read my story is a great compliment! I'm so glad to hear how many people are appreciating how I take my time revealing the layers of the story!_

**Heaven's Mistake:** _Wow! Thank you for commenting on each chapter~ I am going to try and answer some points from your reviews here and there. First of all: thank you so much! Hearing my story/writing called "captivating and suspenseful, but oh so heartbreaking" is such high praise! For 'survivor' to be a SoulMark for Cassie it would have had to have been said at some point to her. I am really glad you enjoyed the story! A lot of people are saying they were heartbroken by her first SoulMark being "Lonely."_

**Remember to favorite/review/follow!**

**If you follow this story you can know when I post a new chapter!**

**Thank you for reading and all the kind words!**


	9. Not for the reasons you think

**Author's Note of school locations:**Serpent Prep to the North, Dragon Hall to the West, and the Witches School to the South.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Not for the reasons you think**

Uma pursed her lips thoughtfully as she walked closer to inspect the SoulMark. She recognized her first mate's handwriting. Her eyes scanned the rest of his torso looking for any other SoulMarks before she circled around to his back. A small breath of air left her as her eyes fell on the nape of his neck.

"Did you know about this one?"

At the juncture of the back of his neck and his shoulder blades, an inch below where his shirt collar would be, was five dark blood red letters written in Harry's hand.

"Well, it seems like your nickname fits."

~...~...~

Cassie looked down at where her SoulMarks _**Damaged Goods**_ and _**Broken**_ _used_ to be. It was surprising to her that she had never considered how much _not_ having SoulMarks had affected Harry. Her soulmate had lived his entire life believing that he had no one—and she had caused him that pain. It stung to realize.

Despite scaring her, Cassie could not deny that he had not been exactly as she had originally envisioned him. The imaginary soulmate she had dreaded for years, the sadistic murdering pirate, did not seem to be as one sided as she had thought. In his vulnerability, Cassie had seen an earnest longing and gentleness. That only made the realization that the hurt and self-hatred that had flashed in his eyes was entirely, singularly, her fault all the more unpleasant. Cassie had always suspected why her father had refused to give her a nickname, why he had seemed so thoughtful before every sentence he had said to her. He had been leaving her soulmate as few clues as possible to find her with. She had never even considered that he could have been as successful as to leave _no_ SoulMarks. Likewise she had never thought that she could be leaving her soulmate blank.

In the wake of everything from the night before Cassie was thoroughly mixed up. Had she really been that close to considering his offer? She knew the answer was 'yes.' She had come so close to succumbing to that promise in his pale blue eyes. Everything her father had taught her, all his warnings, had somehow seemed so distant and antiquated, unrelated even when she looked into those pale gemstones. Harry had a way of worming his way into her brain. Ever since meeting him Cassie had thought of Harry in one capacity or another. Whether it was how to meet him, how to avoid him, or both he had occupied an exorbitant amount of her thoughts. Cassie found herself conflicted between her better judgment and her unrelenting draw to him.

It was honestly an unnerving thing for her; to have someone who held such power over her.

Which brought an even more frightening line of thought forward. What he would do now that he knew who she was.

_What_ she was.

Cassie could only imagine. Harry had gone from being a blank-slate to knowing who his soulmate was in a matter of minutes and that sort of sudden shift in reality could bring about the very nightmares her father had warned her about. She imagined the obsession, the maddening fixation that such a realization could spark in someone. He would never call off the search now that he knew. Even if the Queen of Hearts had not heard whisper of her yet, he would make it impossible for it to stay that way. He would hunt her and in turn bring the Queen of Hearts to hunt her. Cassie could imagine the impossible corner she would inevitably be backed into and the choice she would be forced to make. She could either lose her life to the Queen or lose her freedom to her soulmate.

The daughter of the Cheshire Cat could practically cry.

Everything she had endured so far to avoid the Queen's eyes and ears would be ruined and it was her damned curiosity's fault. She was so incredibly stupid!

But even as she mentally cursed at herself, her mind recalled the look of disbelief and shock he had given her when his SoulMark had appeared. It was as though a beggar had been handed a sultan's ransom. Then there had been the unbridled vulnerability that had followed. He had dropped all his guards and allowed her to see every emotion: hurt and self-hatred that was aged, fresh shock and hope, and then the most painful for her to see—the earnest desperation for her to stay. Her core had shaken at the vulnerability. The last look, the unasked 'why' in his pale orbs when he realized she was truly abandoning him had nearly broken her.

It had taken all the strength she had to leave after that look, but once she did start running her guilt carried her home.

And that was the feeling she was left grappling with currently. An unyielding guilt.

~...~...~

Instantly Harry's hand groped at the back of his neck, rubbing over the small SoulMark.

"It says '_**Kitty**_'?" He echoed his captain's words.

The small captain came around to his front again, nodding and answering with an affirmative hum.

Ironically the satisfied grin stretching over Harry's lips was very cat-like. Evidently he found that particular SoulMark very amusing or perhaps he was proud of himself and the evident accuracy in his chosen pet-name.

Uma raised a singular eyebrow at his smile, but allowed him his satisfaction. Harry had been dealt a poor hand so far in life and having SoulMarks suddenly appear was a turn for the better. Still, something about their sudden appearance mystified her.

"Why now?" _He was well past puberty when most got their first SoulMarks._

She watched as Harry's smile faded in consideration. His hand absently reached up to cover the SoulMark over his heart. Intuitively she connected that the word had something to do with the answer.

"She's been avoidin' people Uma." he said gravely; his voice was deep and she could hear the frown.

"Yeah but—"

"No," the first mate interrupted her deliberately and his eerily-calm gaze was unwavering, "_everyone_ Uma. She only comes out at night an' even then I get the sense she doesn't talk to people."

That theory was mind-boggling. Even if that was the case, "Then why did she come to the wharf?" If she had been so careful as to avoid everyone then that meant she wasn't stupid. "She had to have known you would be there..."

There was a warmth and softness in Harry's eyes that was unlike what she had ever seen before. The realization came to her.

"She _did_ know."

"Aye."

"And she came anyway." Uma's mind was swirling with thoughts, "Why?"

Harry seemed entirely pleased as he answered, "Said it was 'curiosity.'" The tone Harry said it in left no doubt in Uma's mind that he thought it was something other than curiosity that had brought her there.

If that was the case then...

"Where is she?" She regretted the question as soon as she asked it. She watched as the warmth and softness was locked away behind invisible armor within an instant.

"I don' know." cold bitterness spiked his words, replacing the earlier warmth, "She..." his face crumbled, "she ran away as soon as I realized..."

"Oh."

A heavy silence fell over the two teens.

Uma had no idea of what to say to that and Harry seemed to be thinking deeply.

Finally, when it was clear that the other would not break the silence Uma spoke up, "So we find her."

To her surprise she heard Harry say clearly and firmly, "No."

She opened her mouth to protest or to encourage him, but the first mate spoke first.

"Not for the reasons you think." he assured, guessing her thoughts, "I still want to find her, but there's someone who wants ta harm her. The little kitty made it seem important tha' we stop askin' around about her."

That was a lot to take in.

So there was someone else looking for her.

"Do you know who?" If they knew who was hunting her then they could prepare for it, maybe even plan to go on the offensive. Anyone who was a threat to Harry's soulmate made an enemy of the whole crew of the Lost Revenge.

Uma frowned when she saw her first mate shake his head.

That complicated things.

"So we can't look for her and we don't know who else is looking for her." Uma summarized, "And I thought it was complicated before."

"Aye." Harry smiled through his sigh, the weariness evident on his face.

~...~...~

Cassie stepped silently over the rooftops, trekking her way South towards the Witch School. She had never been to the building before, but she had heard passing comments on her night walks. Evidently there were always strange flashes of light and explosions coming from the basement. Though that news was not encouraging, Cassie continued to close in on the general area of the school. She had seen the crumbling building from a distance in passing before. Upon getting close however she noticed the finer details. The windows were covered in soot and the roof was both inaccessible by foot and dilapidated. One look from the roof across the nearby alley was enough for Cassie to know that she would not be able to go by roof but instead would have to take the direct ground route.

Briefly she second-guessed herself. Maybe he wouldn't return to the Goblin's Wharf during the next shipment...

After indulging that thought for a moment she came to the all too unavoidable conclusion that _yes he probably _would. And with that thought thoroughly cemented in her mind the little cat hopped down agilely into the connecting alleyway. She had already determined that this alleyway was the most invisible point of entry and found a break in the surrounding stone wall. Upon consideration the small patch of missing stone bricks was probably no coincidence but the culmination of years of students looking for reliable ways to sneak in and out of school. Undoubtedly Cassie was going through some V.K. student's hidden point of entry, because as she squeezed through the narrow and low passage she found that the break in security was entirely hidden behind a bush from the inside.

Well it was convenient to say the least.

Cassie took a moment to pause and listen for any signs of the inner courtyard being occupied. Satisfied that there was nothing but silence, Cassie began her search for the kitchen and food storage.

~...~...~

Aqua green eyes stared out of the potions lab window with interest at the movement near the entrance that only they knew about. Those eyes watched with amusement as a small girl dressed in all black moved towards the main building, hugging the walls of the courtyard.

Their interest grew even more when they noticed the pair of beautifully crafted cat ears atop the small girls head.

* * *

_Did I just do ANOTHER cliffhanger? This could become a very bad habit..._

**Review Recognition:**

**Heaven's Mistake: **Nope, her father very pointedly made sure to avoid calling Cassie anything that could possibly become a SoulMark. He did so a little too well in fact since he left NO SoulMarks. Thank you for your continued support. And you definitely should not be kicking yourself for not noticing I intentionally made it very, very subtle.

**GreatBigBookofEverything:** Awww thank you so much! I try really hard to not have my characters accidentally have a fourth-wall break where they know things they shouldn't. Harry and Uma are thick as thieves and I really wanted that to come across in my writing. And I assure you I am having a lot of fun writing this story!

**Alessandra.12:** Oops, I did a cliffhanger again.

**Opalowl13:** Thank you!

**Historic Soldier: **I think everyone has something they are insecure about, even the most confident people. Considering that Harry has been grappling with this big thing that sets him aside from everyone else and makes him different, it is only understandable that he feel a little insecure about that difference. And even once things have changed, he's used to thinking of himself as not being worthy etc of a soulmate so there are certainly emotional waves that he is navigating for the first time ever.

**Lottielue1:** I know! Sometimes, in rare moments, I feel bad about the emotional turmoil/angst I always put my characters through-and then I remember I am one sadistic writer and I love the drama lol.

**whoviangirl813:** Thank you so much! I am glad you are enjoying their chemistry, especially since chemistry is one of those things that are mind-numbing to try and write correctly.

**AliceinWonderland13:** Another Here, Kitty, Kitty fan! Welcome! I am glad you are enjoying my writing. Fair warning: Lizzie will be different from their version of the Queen of Heart's daughter even though I have incorporated some aspects of the original.

**SARITA1998:** I am glad to hear that! Harry's POV is the one I have to be more careful with since I don't want him to seem out of character.

**I swear I'm going to read that: **First of all, can I just say I love the humor of your username. Secondly, I am glad you are enjoying the story and took the time to write a review. I really do love reading them.

**rose444100:** It is high praise when someone binge-reads one of my stories! Thank you~ I am glad you like how I have written Cassie. I also look forward to future chapters where I dive into the relationship between the Queen of Hearts, Cassie, and her father; though that is a while to come (sorry).

**Remember to favorite/review/follow!**

**If you follow this story you can know when I post a new chapter!**

**Thank you for reading and all the kind words!**


	10. See you later

**Chapter 10: See you later~**

Mad Maddy, the granddaughter of Madam Mim and leader of the Fearsome Five, watched with unveiled interest as the trespasser made their way across the courtyard. Maddy was no stranger to trespassers, especially when it came to the Witch School, however something about this particular trespasser caught her eye. Perhaps it was that the trespasser couldn't have been any older than her, even in the nonexistent lighting it was evident they were around the same age. Perhaps it was that Maddy was fond of cats, all witches were after all, and something about this trespasser reminded her so much of a little black cat. Everything from the movement of her lithe, flexible body to the breathtaking cat ears resting on her head further crystallized that impression in Maddy's head.

Mad Maddy had been known to be more than a little obsessive with the stray cats that roamed the school. Over thirty 'regular' cats roamed the Witch School with even more that were just passing through. The school was the one guaranteed safe place on the Isle for stray cats to find food, warmth, and even affectionate touches if they desired.

Madam Mim's granddaughter was a favorite among a large portion of the 'regular' cats. Maddy was well versed in _exactly_ what to do to win over any cat without fail.

Maddy blinked to realize that during her drifting thoughts the trespasser had wandered into the main building out of her view. She considered reporting them to the few staff she knew stayed this late, but that sounded boring. Instead the young witch moved away from the window and headed for the door. She was thoroughly intrigued by the girl in cat ears.

It wasn't every day she found such a rare gem.

~...~...~

Cassie had no clue where the food stores would be. Having never been in this building, or even one like it, she found herself feeling completely lost within a matter of minutes. The little cat wandered the empty corridors and cautiously stopped at each door to listen for any sounds before peeking inside. So far she had only found classrooms, locked doors, and what looked to be a janitors closet despite being filled with the oddest things.

Cassie knew that the first visit would be like this more or less, but it didn't make it any more pleasant.

After maybe the fifteenth door Cassie couldn't help wondering if the school even had a cafeteria or kitchen. The Witch School was the smallest of the three schools on the Isle, perhaps they just found it simpler to have students scrounge up their own food. Despite these doubts she was not ready to give up yet.

She continued to search.

Cassie found and passed more laboratories, along with an office that looked like it belonged to whoever was in charge considering how tightly it was locked up, as well as some more offices that were locked almost as securely.

After half a dozen more doors Cassie came to the end of the hallway and realized she had searched the entire building. She frowned at the last door in the hall which she knew led her back out to the courtyard.

She had hoped that the cafeteria would have been in the main building, but evidently not. There were still more buildings it could be in though...

~...~...~

Mad Maddy had been watching the little trespasser for some time. Her amusement only grew when she noticed that the cat-eared girl seemed to have no interest in the headmistress' office or any of the administration's offices. Anyone who had come here hoping to steal something of monetary value would not pass either of those rooms up, no matter how securely locked.

This trespasser didn't even give the doors a second glance.

Likewise, she had just as decisively passed by classrooms which Maddy knew also held items that would appeal to the common thief. Whatever she was looking for it was not in any of those rooms. At this point Maddy had no doubt that the trespasser was looking for something specific. She walked with too much purpose to be looking for anything else.

The question was _what_?

Maddy continued to follow from a distance, feeling wickedly delighted as she did so. It had been a long time since she had last felt like this.

~...~...~

Half a building later Cassie could feel her patience wearing. The Witch School was admittedly larger than she had originally thought it would be and at her current pace she wouldn't even have a quarter of the buildings and rooms searched before dawn.

"How hard is it to post a map?" Cassie mumbled darkly to herself, as she closed another door that was another proverbial dead end. Ten rooms later and her luck hadn't improved.

"I'm never going to find the cafeteria at this rate." she sighed dejectedly under her breath.

It had already been hours and Cassie knew that she was only halfway through this building, if that, and there were still half a dozen buildings after this one. Her likelihood of finding the cafeteria before daybreak seemed less and less likely. Still though, she did try, and ultimately fail.

Unbeknownst to her, she didn't fail privately, she had an audience. A very attentive audience.

~...~...~

Following a trespasser around all night certainly wasn't Maddy's usual nighttime activities and surely Ginny, Anthony, and the twins would wonder why she hadn't met up with them as planned, but she simply couldn't pass up on what she had found. She would explain to them later why she had bailed on them; for the time being she was content to known that her little pussycat would probably be back since she hadn't found the cafeteria she had apparently been searching for.

This girl was positively delicious, a cat-like girl complete with beautifully crafted cat ears was a walking wet-dream to most witches—and she had laid eyes on her first. If Maddy didn't know any better she'd think the cat-girl was her soulmate.

To Maddy's delight, she had been right and her pussycat came back the next night. She saw her in the courtyard around the same time as the first night and watched as she entered the wrong building again. Seeing that, Maddy decided to have a little fun with the pussycat. Honestly, she couldn't help herself.

~...~...~

Just as Cassie reached her hand out to grab the next door handle she heard a noise behind her.

An airy and eerily chilling chuckle drifted down from the hallway to her left.

A feminine voice came from around the corner, "If you're looking for the cafeteria _I_ could take you there."

Instantly Cassie froze, hand halfway to the doorknob. Tension filled the air. She unmistakably heard the soft shuffle of shoes over the linoleum. The little cat's taut muscles protested slightly as she slowly turned to face the noise. The hallway was short and she knew that she had heard the noise near the end of it.

Cassie firmed her stance and attempted confidence as she raised her voice, "Who is there?" Her eyes were focused on the left side of the hallway, where the corridor turned.

Out stepped a female roughly her same age. The first thing that struck Cassie was the girls hair and eye color; both were aqua green. Even on the isle such a color was rare to see on someone's head. There was something in those aqua green eyes that sent all her red flags shooting up and made her feel a chill she had not previously.

Cassie took a moment to assess the new person in front of her.

She was pretty Cassie acknowledged. Her matching aqua-green hair and eyes were a striking combo. Her hair was long and wavy, almost reaching down to her elbows and it framed her face beautifully. Her rogue-red lips were twisted into a devious smile as she returned the little cat's staring in kind. Her outfit was a combination of dark blue, dark purple, and what the locals knew as 'Maleficent-green.' Her dark blue shirt had purple accents on the sleeves and was torn fashionably at the sleeve-ends and bottom. Her dark purple skirt was not a straight-cut but wavy at the bottom and featured zippers for style as well as Maleficent-green swirling, thorny vine patterns. Cassie's eyes fell to the other girl's knee-high dark blue heeled boots with dark purple strips of leather circling the blue, tying the whole outfit together.

Overall it was not a look Cassie thought many could pull off but one which she carried flawlessly.

Absently Cassie realized this girl must be a student here, which would make her a witch or at least the daughter of a witch.

"You can call me Maddy." the aqua-green girl continued to walk towards Cassie, showing no signs of stopping. The way her eyes were roaming up and down the little cat's body with a strange spark of something or other glinting within reminded Cassie of Harry. It wasn't too different from the look Harry had given her when they had first met. She could feel her skin flush with warmth even as the red flags of warning waved rapidly in her mind.

"I've never seen _you_ here before." the aqua-green haired girl, Maddy, continued. She came in close, maybe a little too close in Cassie's opinion, but the brunette didn't react outwardly to it. Inwardly she was hearing screaming sirens, but outwardly she stood her ground.

From this close it became apparent that Maddy was half a head taller than Cassie. Despite this Cassie put on a brave face and lifted her chin up defiantly.

"And?" Cassie raised a single dark-brown eyebrow, perfectly projecting confidence that she didn't feel.

The other girl smiled wickedly, "Mmm, I like you little pussycat. Would you like to be mine?" At the witch's purred words Cassie could feel the heat in her cheeks visibly color her face and simultaneously felt her spine stiffen. If she actually were a cat, her back would be arched and the hairs thereon would be ruffled.

Cassie frowned and answered curtly, "I don't much care what you like."

That seemed to only further amuse the other girl.

"And if I am willing to help you find the cafeteria?" Those aqua-green eyes were sparkling knowingly, "Would you care then?"

Cassie blinked in surprise but quickly recollected herself. Something about this girl was unnerving, and not simply because she had no regard for personal space or propriety. She felt just a little too off-kilter to be trusted. Cassie was no fool, this girl was no kind stranger looking to help her. There was something unmistakably unbalance about her.

Then there was the question of how she even knew that Cassie had been looking for the Cafeteria.

"Why?" Cassie's eyes narrowed suspiciously as she focused on Maddy's facial expressions.

Aqua-green eyes stared straight back. Instantly Cassie felt unnerved. It had been a long time since she had direct eye-contact with anyone, let alone from such a short distance. Maddy seemed to notice this and revel in her discomfort. Her aqua-green eyes were dancing with barely contained mirth.

"I'm sure you can appreciate this..." the taller girl smirked, taking care to enunciate the next word slowly, "Curiosity."

Somehow Cassie felt like she was being mocked. However she searched the aqua-green girl's face and eyes and saw no hint of a lie.

Cassie frowned, finding the answer unconvincing.

"No? Don't like that?" the aqua-green witch cooed, "Consider it me buying good faith then pussycat. You caught my interest."

Cassie's face pinched in distrust. She didn't know how but she could tell that the other girl's kindness was a facade, a Trojan horse of sorts. She had the sense the aqua-green witch would only be kind so long as it was necessary to draw Cassie in, though for what purpose she couldn't tell.

Cassie had no intention of getting drawn in by anyone, much less a witch that set her hairs on end.

"Well, you can follow me, or continue to search all night. Maybe you'll even find it on your own in a few days." Cassie watched with bewilderment as the other girl turned on her heels and walked away with an air of lazy confidence.

Cassie's better judgment was screaming for her to walk away, even run away. Inwardly she knew she would be a fool to follow this stranger. She knew she was not genuinely kind. She had no reason to trust her and in all frankness she did not trust her.

Still though...no one on the Isle was kind, but maybe Cassie could still benefit from her _thinking_ she trusted her.

It was amazing how stupid she could be when her curiosity came into play. Had the green-haired witch offered to walk her there Cassie would have refused or had she simply given up interest and left Cassie would let her go without a second thought. However she had played her perfectly. Even with all her gut-warnings Cassie couldn't deny she was bewildered, and in turn, curious.

Cassie had followed her curiosity before and it had resulted in Harry realizing their bond and chasing her over rooftops. Surely she had learned her lesson. Surely that experience had been scary enough, scarring enough, to dissuade her from following this complete stranger to _Hades knows where. _

Evidently not.

Even though Cassie had given into her insatiable curiosity again she was still not so foolish as to walk side-by-side with this unbalanced witch. The gap between them was around three meters distance. Cassie followed her outside of the previous building and across the courtyard to another building tucked away to the west-corner.

While she followed her Cassie sized up the other teen.

There were no visible weapons and with how form-hugging the other girl's outfit was there weren't many places she could be hiding weapons. The boots though. Cassie had had the misfortune of witnessing too many mugging in alleys below on her night walks. Boots could stash a number of things, a knife being one of the most popular.

Cassie had just made a conscious decision to keep a good distance between her and the other girl, when said girl broke her thoughts.

"It's not the first time I've seen someone trespass here." Cassie frowned at the word 'trespass', but for the moment she could not deny it.

"Though, I think you would be the first one who was looking for the cafeteria."

It was obvious she was prodding for an answer.

"So?" Cassie pushed back.

"So, _pussycat_," the witch emphasized that last word, obviously delighting in calling her that, "why exactly are you looking for the cafeteria?"

"Oh I figured I would check out the school food first before enrolling here." Cassie snarked.

"That's funny," the witch snorted before switching to a lilting voice, "We're here."

"Huh." to Cassie's surprise the witch had actually brought her straight to the cafeteria. Floor to ceiling the room was aged, riddled with scuffs and markings from years of V.K.s running it down. Table after table lined the linoleum floor. As they stepped past some tables Cassie noticed that all of them were covered in graffiti, scratched-in words, and personal markings. Unharmed though were the sky-lighting windows on the rooftop. If Cassie could figure out how to get up there it would be a good entry point. It was probably the largest room Cassie had ever been in. The witch was still leading her, straight towards the back of the room and where Cassie could see a food line made of buffet displays and food warming stations. Behind that though were doors which she assumed led to where the food was actually prepared and stored—where she wanted to be.

The witch stopped short of the food line and turned on her heels to face the little cat.

"So, here's the cafeteria." her voice and eyes were expectant, "Now what?"

Cassie stared blankly.

_Now what indeed._ She hadn't planned on actually taking any of the food tonight; she had expected it would take much longer to find it.

"What?" the witch seemed disappointed, "That was the whole plan? What did you plan to do once you found it?"

Cassie shrugged, not really trusting the witch with more than she already knew. Honestly the little cat wasn't crazy that the witch knew as much as she did.

Cassie's eyes flicked to the door to the kitchen and food storage. The door was probably locked. Still though, she had to try it. She would feel damned stupid if she climbed through a window and the door was unlocked.

Cassie stepped forward and jiggled the handle. It was definitely locked.

"The lunch-lady and janitor are probably the only ones who carry a key."

It didn't matter, Cassie could figure out a different way in now that she knew which building it was in.

"Oh well, guess I'll give up." Cassie gave a dramatic sigh and turned from the door dejectedly.

"Right." was the prim answer the other girl gave in return, her aqua-green eyes were still watching Cassie carefully.

Cassie knew she wasn't fooling her, but she also knew she didn't want to stick around her any longer.

"Well," Cassie rubbed at the back of her neck uncomfortably as she side-stepped towards the exit, "Thanks for the, uh, help. Bye then."

When the other girl didn't immediately respond Cassie proceeded to make a cringe-worthy exit, complete with a stiff little wave and a half-jog start.

However, before Cassie was out of ears-length she distinctively heard "See you later~" in a soft singsong voice.

Honestly, it gave her shivers down her spine.

The Witch School was looking less and less appealing. Maybe she would be checking the Goblin's Wharf again after all.

Cassie had no clue yet that catching the attention of Mad Maddy would be a mistake she would come to regret acutely.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_Well, that chapter was a monster for me. I really hope it flowed smoothly because I rewrote and rewrote it and reorganized and added and cut a lot on this chapter._

_As always, thank you for reading and please do take the time to leave a review. Reading reviews is one of the most rewarding parts of being an author. _

**Review Recognition:**

**Historic Soldier: ** _I will consider your request though I make no promises._

**rose444100:** _Her father's experiences with SoulMarks is a sad and unpleasant tale, though I had an interesting idea come up that I am still toying with and considering as an alternate backstory for his SoulMarks. At this point I am still weighting my options._

**forbidenjutsu:** _You re-read the WHOLE story every time I post a new chapter? Oh my, that must take hours! I don't know what to say but that I am glad you can stand to re-read it so much. Thank you for the support! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!_

**Alessandra.12: **_Unfortunately, I cannot say there will be no more emotions. There will be many. Like wow. I am planning a tsunami._

**Lottielue1: **_Good guess and you were correct! It was in fact Mad Maddy. Thank you again for your review. It is obvious in the movies (and presumably the books though I haven't read them) that Harry and Uma are both very loyal to one another. And although I do not ship them together I do love that rare loyalty on the isle and enjoy writing them as friends. _

**Heaven's Mistake: **_Yes, the Harry in 'Here Kitty Kitty' is much more unstable than the Harry that I write. I loved her writing but imagine Harry as someone who puts on a guise of being off-kilter while at the same time being fully (or at least mostly) level-minded. Your review was lovely and I am glad my story can be a reprieve from reality for you. _

**GreatBigBookofEverything: ** _You guessed it! I used to always write cliff-hangers in my stories but oddly enough I haven't done it so much for this one. Thank you for your review!_

**Kim: **_I'm so glad you're enjoying my story and connecting with the characters! Thank you so much for loving my story and reviewing! I hope the wait was worth it!_

**AliceinWonderland13:** _Thanks! I hope this lived up to your hopes!_

**Remember to favorite/review/follow!**

**If you follow this story you can know when I post a new chapter!**

**Thank you for reading and all the kind words!**


	11. Why would you think I care about that?

**Author's Note:**_ I hope that you all enjoy Valentine's day. My husband and I celebrated it on the 13th (that way we avoid the crowded restaurants). _

_Happy Valentine's day! Single, dating, or married: I wish you the best!_

**_SIDE NOTE:_** **_Thank you to those of you who have taken the time to write even just one review! Honestly reviews are my lifeblood and keep me motivated to keep writing more chapters!_**

_Without any further ado...enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 11: Why would you think I care about that?**

Mad Maddy had a way of fixating on something and holding it so tight that she smothered the life out of it. Of course, Maddy would never acknowledge this. Her friends all knew it though. They also knew that when Maddy got into one of her fits of obsession it was best to wait it out until she tired of whatever it was or made it hers.

However, imagine their surprise when they found out that her current obsession wasn't an actual cat, but a human girl.

"Wait—" Ginny Gothel interrupted her friend's half-hour long monologue. Something Maddy had just said suddenly clarified something to her, "Is this 'pussycat' actually a _person_?"

"Of course." the witch responded absently. Her mind was already twisting back towards her most current obsession. Maddy had been discussing different ways she could coax said _'pussycat'_ into becoming hers or, if she wouldn't come willing and need be, trap her.

Anthony Tremaine and Ginny Gothel shared a look of trepidation.

The twins, who had been wrestling one another about something or other, paused to look at their 'Mad' leader's wicked grin before exchanging a look. The realization that Maddy's _'pussycat'_ was actually a cat-like person seemed familiar to something they had heard recently. Gaston Jr. was the first to connect the dots, but his brother was the one who spoke before thinking.

"That sounds like who Lizzie is—OW!" Gaston Jr. elbowed his younger twin sharply in his rib-cage. Unfortunately it was too late, Gaston the third had gotten Mad Maddy's attention.

"Lizzie is looking for the pussycat too?" her aqua-green eyes were frigid shards of ice daggers, "Why?"

"Uhhh..." Gaston the third looked sideways at his twin. Gaston Jr. was busy burying his face in his palms out of shame and frustration.

~...~...~

Harry Hook felt restless sitting at Ursula's Fish and Chips. Even after talking to both Uma and Gil about his new development he had no clue how he was going to track her down without putting her in further danger.

He had requested that Uma switch him back to the night shift and she had agreed. It was an easy enough switch after all considering most of the crew despised the night shift. However that didn't solve the current problem.

It only made sure he was out at the right time frame. Harry had been spending the last couple nights wandering the Isle with his eyes fixed on the rooftops for her. If he was in a complaining mood he would admit that his neck ached something fierce. Not that it mattered; he was hardly going to consider giving up on the only thing he could think to do just because of some sore muscles.

The teen pirate rested his forehead on the scarred wood of the counter top in front of him. The wood smelled like fried food and spilled drinks. There was a roar of thunder in his psyche shaking every thought in his head. Ever since he had learned that his soulmate was in danger Harry couldn't turn off the sirens in his brain. Tension had slowly been growing behind his eyes; he knew what was on the line now and he was not willing to lose it so soon. Harry felt like it was do or die and the most frustrating part was that he didn't know _what to do_.

Why couldn't she have just not run away? He would kill to see her again and just talk to her. She didn't even have to do anything else but talk to him. She didn't have to love him if she didn't want to but _damn it _how he wished he could have her near. _Hades_, he felt hopeless. It had only been a few days and he was going stir-crazy thinking about her out there.

He wanted to _hook_ whoever had sent his soulmate into her miserable state of hiding. He wanted to protect her, or better yet, teacher her to protect herself. If they had met sooner maybe she would already be free of whoever this impending doom was.

"You're thinkin' 'bout her again." Harry could feel his friend's smile as he took the seat next to the tall brunette.

"Aye." Harry groused. There was no point in denying it to Gil, despite not being the sharpest sword in the barrel he had a way at discerning others' thoughts. After his talk with Uma, the captain had called a meeting between the three of them where Gil learned everything and Harry filled in some more gaps from that night.

"Have you gotten any more—" Gil leaned in conspiratorially and whispered with intent, "—_ya know_?"

Harry did know. He shook his head. Since his talk with Uma, the captain had also made a point of getting Jason to replace the standing mirror in his quarters. Harry had been checking his body for new additions at least once a day. He had even borrowed a smaller mirror so that he could use it in combination with his standing mirror to see the SoulMark at the nape of his neck.

"Oh," Gil seemed genuinely disappointed. Harry knew it had been years since the blonde had gotten his first SoulMark and that since then he had not received a second one. Despite this Gil seemed to be earnest in his happiness for Harry. Honestly the first mate didn't know how his friend did it.

"Don't worry." Gil had rebounded quickly and was once again smiling, "I bet you'll find her soon."

"Thanks." Harry turned his face back towards the scarred wood.

He certainly wasn't going to quit trying.

~...~...~

Her night walks had continued like normal during the passing week and Cassie, with a new ear for news about the witch, had come to realize that she was referred to as "Mad Maddy." Not a very encouraging nickname...

Cassie had waited a week before considering approaching the Witch School again, she hoped that in that time the aqua-green witch would lose interest and forget about her. She had decided that one week was long enough and tonight she grabbed her backpack and prepared to go back.

The little cat was crouched down on the roof across the way, scoping out the target building. It was situated on the west corner, opposite the ground entrance she had found on the eastern wall, but was too far away from the stone wall for her to make a jump to it from the wall. She could get over the wall on her way in with enough effort, but lifting her weight and a loaded down backpack over such a high wall would be tricky. That meant she would have to exit through the eastern wall, which meant a higher chance of being caught.

She wasn't in love with the idea but her own food supplies had run out that morning, hence why she had decided to come tonight.

The plan decided and her preparations made, Cassie headed towards the narrow alley that ran along the western wall. Cassie carefully relocated an upturned wooden barrel she had found near the entrance of the alley to upright and flush against the school wall. The school's outer wall was maybe 6 feet tall. She stepped over the hollow wooden barrel and this time was very careful to not knock it over as she vaulted up and over the wall. Her feet landed with a dull thud and a practiced bend of the knees to cushion the impact. Quickly the cat scampered behind the cafeteria wall. Remembering the layout she had seen a week ago, she walked along the wall until she was at the south end of the building where the kitchen and hopefully food storage was. Her eyes scanned the outer brick wall for any easy way to get to either the roof or the slightly cracked windows near the ceiling. Her amber orbs fell on the old, neglected ivy that was crawling up to the roof in surprisingly thick stalks.

She was light, but one look was enough to tell her that that idea was as trustworthy as fairy tale logic.

No, she would need a different way in. Her eyes drifted away from the ivy and back towards the wall itself. The ledge of the window was probably at least 9 or 10 feet off of the ground. Too high for her to make a straight jump, but maybe she could get enough height and power to reach it if she ran at the wall and used her momentum.

It was certainly worth a try.

The little cat scanned the area quickly to make sure no one was around before she backed herself the short distance to the outer wall, it couldn't be more than a meter or two but it would have to do. With her back to the outer wall she pushed herself into a sprint, ran straight at the cafeteria wall, planted her foot on the building, and reached up. Her hands fell short of the window by about a foot. Cassie tried this again half a dozen more times before she realized she was getting even further away from making the window.

Short of breath and half an hour closer to dawn the little cat accepted that she needed to try a different approach. She looked up at the cafeteria wall she was attempting to climb before looking back at the wall she had climbed over to get in. The distance was still too much between the two walls for her to do a cold jump from one to the other. But the alleyway between the outer wall and the building next to the school was only a meter wide at most. The building was close enough to the school's outer wall that she might be able to do a cat's leap onto the school's outer wall and use that momentum to go into a pounce at the window ledge.

Cassie scrambled her way back up the wall and found a ladder up to the rooftop of the nearby building, it looked like a shop of some kind. From atop the shop she was a little higher than the wall, a little less than a meter or so. This meant she would do a short sprint off the rooftop, jump forward and over the narrow alley to the school wall, and then use that momentum to pounce at the cafeteria wall where hopefully she could grab onto the window or window ledge.

Looking at the school wall and cafeteria from her vantage point on the roof, it looked like a horrible idea. Unfortunately she didn't have any better. So with a steadying deep breath and a shaky exhale, she backed up slowly, mentally mapped her route, and began her sprint.

Moments later Cassie thudded against the cafeteria wall with great force. She nearly missed her target because of how much momentum she had when she impacted with the wall, but she did managed to cling to the window ledge. It hurt like hell but she held on. The little cat-eared girl hung from the ledge for a few seconds as she tried to recover.

After those seconds she was scrambling up higher and forcing the window open enough for her and her backpack to get in.

She lowered her feet down onto the stainless steel counter top and as soon as she was fully in she stepped down to the ground and even wiped away any marks her shoes might have caused on the surface.

Cassie paused there, allowing her eyes to adjust in the scant lighting. There was no electric lights on, the only lighting came from the upper windows and the roof sky-lighting. Tonight's moon was a waxing crescent, which meant she would have to work with as little light as possible.

After a minute or two in the dark without moving she began to make out shapes, enough for her to get a sense of where she was. She could see a row of stoves attached to the counter top she had stepped onto. In front of her was an island counter top with hovering shelves full of something. As time passed she could make out more details; pots, pans, knife racks, and large jugs of oil on and below the island.

This seemed to be where the school cafeteria staff assembled the ingredients. Cassie wanted where they stored their food. She knew logically speaking it couldn't be far off. And so it wasn't.

The first door she tried to open led her into a refrigerated pantry. Of course there was nothing in there she could actually take, but it was reassuring. Cassie moved down the wall and tried the next door, this time she was led into a room filled with standing shelves that were overflowing with canned, preserved, dried, and pre-packaged foods. All of these things she could take.

Cassie began carefully palming her way through the room and shelves, always careful to only take something they had plenty of and wouldn't miss and to never take the last of anything. She also made sure to take from the back of the shelf so they wouldn't know anything had been taken right away if at all.

Just like that Cassie's backpack was full and weighed down considerably by her ill-gotten goods.

All she had to do was exit the cafeteria, preferably through the front doors this time—of course she would be mindful to re-lock any doors behind herself—and then make her way to the eastern wall.

Cassie made her way to the eastern wall without incident. The little cat crouched behind the bush that hid the breach in the wall.

Cassie took a long breath deep into her lungs and filled her chest up before she pushed the breath out. Apparently the witch had lost interest like she had hoped. That was at least one thing that had gone well for her. Lately it seemed like she just couldn't catch a break.

Cassie slipped through the breach. Heavy backpack securely on her shoulders, she entered the alleyway.

"_You are an interesting little pussycat aren't you?"_

Of course.

Cassie looked up to the roof right in front of her. Standing there, above the fire escape was the same aqua-green witch from before. Cassie's face briefly pinched into a frown before she cleared the expression. Quickly she painted a smile onto her face and looked up at the witch-girl.

"Maddy, right?"

The unbridled delight in the other girl's face at Cassie remembering her name was honestly unnerving for the little cat.

"Right..." Cassie's eyes flicked to the intersection of the alley and street. She would have preferred to have gone by roof since it was safer from prying eyes but she could go by foot until she was far enough from the school.

"I think I'll just..." Cassie trailed off, moving towards her exit.

"I'd like to talk to you." Maddy called down, "and I know you prefer the rooftops. Come here." That last part sounded more like a request than it actually was. Cassie could see in her aqua-green eyes that this witch expected her to do exactly that.

This time Cassie's curiosity couldn't talk her into that mad house.

"Oh, I would love to," Cassie instinctively cushioned her rejection, "I have places to be, people who are waiting for me."

Then, unexpectedly, the witch said something that chilled Cassie's blood and left her insides feeling like cold spaghetti.

"I know who your father is."

This time Cassie turned her attention fully towards the witch. She still didn't know what this witch wanted with her. As far as she knew her father had never offended any witches and she certainly had never met her before recently. There was no way either that this girl could know who her father was...but the way that she said that made Cassie pause. If she didn't actually know then why in the world would she say that? Most V.K.s lineage was common knowledge and of no consequence outside of the core four and a few other big names.

"Why would you think I care about that?" Cassie asked dryly, as though she only thought the declaration was weird rather than important.

The tittering little giggle that followed sent chilling tingles down Cassie's spine.

"Because you're the Cheshire Cat's—" as soon as the words slipped through the witch's lips Cassie was hastily shushing her. Her eyes quickly shot up and down the alley to make sure no one had heard. Maddy closed her mouth but a small, triumphant smile curled her rogue-red lips.

And then it hit Cassie.

Shit.

Cassie had just confirmed the witch's suspicions.

"Care to join me up here now?"

"And if I don't care to?" Cassie countered, feeling venom in her words.

"I could always let the headmistress know about your little visits, or..." Maddy got a dangerous glint in her eyes, "I bet the Queen of Hearts would be far more interested, perhaps even enough to reward me."

_Shit_.

Begrudgingly Cassie climbed the fire escape up to the rooftop. However, when Maddy patted the stone ledge next to herself, the little cat instead opted to lean against the brick chimney a few meters away from the witch. Cassie got some small satisfaction when she saw the witch glare in disappointment before giving a disdainful huff.

Cassie couldn't help the little smirk that squirmed its way into the corner of her lip. She used that small triumph as a foothold for the confidence she projected as she asked, "So what did you want to talk about so badly that you'd threaten me?"

"Mmm, you're a _curious little pussycat_ aren't you?" Mad Maddy purred, her eyes running up and down Cassie's form, causing her to feel uncomfortably self-conscious as Maddy continued on to half-sing, "You know what curiosity did to the cat though, don't you?" The unveiled threat in that casual idiom chilled the little cat's bones.

Maddy's tone sobered as she remarked, "Don't worry though. I won't hurt you. You strike me as someone whose curiosity gets the best of them. I'm the same."

Cassie somehow doubted that they were the same in any way, though she had to admit that her curiosity had gotten her in a couple close calls over the years. Recently in particular.

"Would you believe that I am merely _curious_ about you?" Maddy was maddeningly calm and composed as she sat there absentmindedly swinging her legs back and forth like a child.

Cassie's nose wrinkled in response to her question.

"It's true." Maddy assured, unexpected warmth and genuine feeling in her expression, "I know you don't trust me, but I just want to get to know you."

Cassie felt an uncomfortable warmth pool in her stomach. She had been hiding for eighteen years and never had anyone take interest in her before, now she had two very different people notice her. Although the idea of someone wanting her was terrifying, it was also nice in a strange way. It made her feel good, even a little important. However, despite the fact that Maddy had stirred these feelings, Cassie knew she was not someone she wanted.

"What do you want to know?"

Maddy's eyebrows twitched up for the briefest moment, "I didn't expect you to agree so easily."

Cassie leveled the other girl with her best deadpan expression, "I don't have much of a choice do I?" She alluded to Maddy's threat to expose her to the Queen.

"Everyone has a choice, it's just a question of whether or not we're willing to live with them."

_Well...that was surprisingly sound logic._ Cassie's face must have shown her surprise because a moment later the witch was giggling, "I assume you have heard of my nickname by now?"

The little cat nodded slowly, watching as "Mad" Maddy's smile faded to fond wistfulness. Hesitantly Cassie asked, "Why do they call you that?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** _Assume that Gaston Jr and Gaston the third told Maddy about Lizzie thinking that Cassie is the Cheshire cat's daughter._

_Fun fact: after researching a handful of conditions etc I also imagine Maddy as having Obsessive Love Disorder. It is not important to the story, it just helps me with getting her mindset right. _

_Another fun fact: this is the second chapter I have had to research/read/watch videos on parkour for Cassie's character._

**Review Recognition:**

**SARITA1998:** _Madame Mim's grand-daughter Mad Maddy is actually a canon character in the books and does not belong to me, but I am glad you are enjoying her appearance all the same._

**Heaven's Mistake:** _Oof! After this chapter I think your suspicion is more than fair._

**rose444100:** _Thanks, like I said in above Maddy is a canon character in the books. And I imagine that she does have certain traits she's gotten from Madame Mim, such as her obsessive personality and unstable temperament/mentality. _

**Lottielue1: **_Thanks a lot for saying that you liked the flow/switching POVs. I was honestly worried about how that would come across to others. You're not wrong, there are connections between Maddy and Lizzie._

**Kim: **_Well thank you! I am glad to hear that! I have some stories I follow myself that I feel that way about when I see a new chapter so I can relate, I'm just honored though that you feel that way about MY story. I'm glad you were on edge! Honestly Maddy is not good news lol._

**Remember to favorite/review/follow!**

**If you follow this story you can know when I post a new chapter!**

**Thank you for reading and all the kind words!**


	12. Now you're catching on

_**Previously on SoulMarked...**_

_Cassie leveled the other girl with her best deadpan expression, "I don't have much of a choice do I?" She alluded to Maddy's threat to expose her to the Queen._

"_Everyone has a choice, it's just a question of whether or not we're willing to live with them."_

_Well...that was surprisingly sound logic. Cassie's face must have shown her surprise because a moment later the witch was giggling, "I assume you have heard of my nickname by now?"_

_The little cat nodded slowly, watching as "Mad" Maddy's smile faded to fond wistfulness. Hesitantly Cassie asked, "Why do they call you that?"_

* * *

**Chapter 12: ****Now you're catching on**

"Wouldn't you rather know why I mentioned the Queen of Hearts?" aqua-green eyes focused on her.

Cassie nodded. As exhausting as this whole conversation was to track with all of Mad Maddy's sudden topic changes, Cassie couldn't deny that information about the Queen was probably the one thing she was the most interested in knowing.

"So?" Cassie asked, "Why did you mention her?"

"Mention who?" the aqua-green witch replied.

"The Queen of—" Cassie caught Maddy snickering and slammed her jaw shut. Mad Maddy's moniker was no accident; she obviously was mad as a March hare. Mad Maddy's mind was like a labyrinth with twists and turns and no clear path through.

Cassie could feel the beginning of a headache in her temples and resisted the very real urge to rub at the sore spots.

"I'm playing with you _pussycat_, you need to relax." Maddy cooed playfully, "I simply heard that the Queen was looking for you and connected the dots. I mean really, when you think of a cat and the Queen of Hearts your dear ol' daddy is the first one to come to mind."

Cassie's impatience was bleeding through into her tone as she ground out, "Who told you she was looking for me?"

"Some mutual friends the Queen's daughter and I share."

_Maddy had connections to the Queen's daughter?_

"Then why haven't you turned me in to her already? I know she'd reward you." As soon as she said it Cassie wondered if she could possibly be any _stupider_. She had basically just suggested Maddy hand her over to the Queen.

The wry smirk Maddy was giving her indicated that she had noticed the irony as well.

"It's hard to get to know a headless corpse." there was a glint in her eyes that was both mysteriously alluring and dangerously sharp.

"So you didn't turn me in 'cause you're curious about me?" Cassie reiterated for clarity, doubt evident in her tone.

"Now you're catching on." Maddy praised.

Surely that was not the whole reason. Cassie had to admit that she had done a great many ill-advised things out of curiosity, but it still seemed far fetched. Though if Maddy's moniker was anything to go off of then perhaps such odd behavior was par for the course.

"Say I believe you." Cassie suggested aloud, "Then why should I trust you? How do I know you aren't just trying to get me to let my guard down?"

Maddy seemed intrigued by her question, even thrilled by it. Her eyes lit up and her whole body jolted with energy.

"I love the way your mind works," she leaned in, as if trying to get a better look at Cassie's inner thoughts, "Are you always so cautious?"

"Yes." Cassie replied curtly, "And you didn't answer my question."

"Quite right." Maddy leaned back again and contemplated her answer, humming and looking to the stars, before elegantly stating, "I guess you can't trust me."

Cassie was about to give a sour response when the aqua-green witch then proposed, "Though, perhaps I can build up some good faith? You can walk away with your bag tonight, I won't stop you—" it was a small relief but Cassie hardly felt gratitude, "—and when you come back next week I'll leave the cafeteria unlocked for you."

"How—"

"Please." Maddy interrupted, her eyes half-lidded into a sly little look, "I have free range of the whole place. Getting a copy of the key from the headmistress' office should be no problem for me."

Well, not having to climb in through the upper window every time would be a welcome improvement. Still though...

Cassie narrowed her eyes suspiciously. There was a lot of ways that Maddy's proposal could go wrong for her. Her father had warned her that people could sometimes act opposite of how you expect when trying to trick you. And even though Maddy had not overtly done anything against her per se, she couldn't shake the feeling that she shouldn't trust her. With that in mind she made a point to neither accept or reject the proposal.

Though one part of that proposal did interest her.

"I can go?"

Maddy's smile was smooth and relaxed, "If you want."

"I do." Cassie replied instantly.

"Until next time then _pussycat_." Maddy purred, eyeing Cassie appreciatively one last time.

The witch made no motion to move as Cassie turned away and ran to the next roof, however the little cat could feel the witch's eyes on her back as she went. Cassie took the long route home, purposely heading in the wrong direction first before circling back around and then continuing a weaving pattern all the way home.

It was safe to say the little cat had never met someone so unnervingly hard to interpret before.

After that whole encounter she didn't know whether she would rather risk revisiting the Goblin's Wharf or the Witch School. It was a little less than a week to the next shipment, so she had to decide soon.

~...~...~

It seemed Cassie's luck had taken a turn.

She noticed during her night walks the next couple nights that something had changed. To her surprise, she no longer heard pirates asking random pedestrians or V.K.s if they had seen or heard of her. For the briefest moment she had felt hope and disappointment all at once thinking that her soulmate had given up on searching for her. The hope she had expected. The disappointment however had come completely unbidden.

What had she been hoping for? That he would keep searching for her even after she had left him like that? Why should he? It was better for her if he did give up and leave her alone.

She must be a fool if she thought for even one second that he could be anything other than the murdering, sadistic pirate. Her SoulMarks attested to that. Harry Hook wasn't going to become a knight in shining armor just because he was her soulmate. This was the Isle of the Lost. There were no heroes here.

Still...he had offered her a place in his crew. He didn't have to do that. He had even made her feel like he had meant it. He had offered a place and protection without knowing who he would be protecting her from. And perhaps more tempting, he had offered to ease her loneliness.

It had been so seductively inviting.

It had been so long since Cassie had felt a part of something. It had been almost as long since Cassie had felt anything less than the most harrowing loneliness.

She'd be lying if she said she hadn't been considering it these past few days.

But just as she was beginning to think, to consider...

She noticed it.

The pirates were being silent about her but they hadn't stopped looking for her. Rather, they had changed their tactics. Dangerously so. Instead of asking about her they were silently looking for her.

Her night walks had turned into a game of cat and mouse—and she was the mouse. It was no coincidence that the eyes of every pirate were roof-bound. In just a few days she had more close calls than in the last four years combined. Sometimes she was able to duck down or drop to the roof quick enough to avoid detection, but at least once she had caught a pirate trying to follow her home quietly. Since then she had doubled up on her evasive maneuvers.

~...~...~

Harry frowned down at the map of the city spread-out over his desk in his quarters.

He had ordered all the night shift crew to keep their eyes on the rooftops for someone matching her description and to report to him if they found anything. He had actually gotten a few reports from crew members who had seen _someone_ on the roofs, though they couldn't confirm whether or not it had been her. Harry had marked the new sightings regardless. It was only a couple days until the next shipment came in and he was no closer to finding out who was threatening his little kitty and he had made almost no progress towards finding Cassie herself.

Even more alarming was the fact that a few nights ago he had gotten a new SoulMark. He had been patrolling on the night shift when he had felt a sudden warm tingling on his right rib-cage. It had taken all his willpower to not take his shirt off right then and there and look, regardless of the nearby street-rabble. Instead he kept walking until he was in a secluded area. As soon as he was alone he moved to relative privacy in a poorly lit alley. With his back to the street Harry lifted up his shirt and held his breath as his eyes fell on his right rib-cage.

He had to squint to see in the dark but there, stretching over his lowest rib and stopping just short of his abs, was the word _**Curious.**_ It was written in his hand but not caused by him. That meant the little kitty had been talking to someone else.

And for the last few days that was all Harry could think about in his quiet moments.

The word itself wasn't inherently negative and no more words had appeared since then, but he couldn't help but wonder who she had been talking to. Was it possible he had been fooled? He had gotten the impression she avoided people. Or did she no longer feel the need to hide?

Or worse, had she been found by someone else before him? If his crews' earlier asking around had brought trouble or harm to her...

He had no clue what to think or feel. A hurricane would have left less damage in its wake than what havoc that SoulMark was wreaking on his psyche.

Harry frowned down at the newest marks on his map. They were really just location indicators with an arrow for the direction that she had been seen heading in. In other words, a circle with an arrow coming out of it.

Like always there was hardly a pattern. All the sightings were near the inner isle but at different times and different directions. Sometimes away from the inner isle, sometimes towards it.

A spark lit behind Harry's eyes.

Different times, different directions.

He was putting all the marks on the map where they lost all meaning of time, but what if he were to account for that?

Harry grabbed his seldom-used red and blue ink from the desk drawer. Now, new ink colors in hand, Harry traced over the markings with their new colors. Blue was for early in the night and red was for nearer dawn. If she really only came out at night, then he could look at where she was heading away from in the early night and where she was headed towards in the later hours.

Some time and a lot of grumbling later and Harry had painstakingly recalled almost all the different time-frames and traced over the old markings with their new coordinating color. Some details were lost and had to stay black, but that hardly mattered.

Leaning back, Harry looked at his newly marked map and felt a surging hope. He could feel confidence in his own success blooming in his chest, leaving a warm tingling sensation everywhere it touched.

He'd found the street.

It was painfully obvious in hindsight. It was the exact street where he had first felt her clearly.

~...~...~

If Cassie was a cat her tail would be twitching back and forth irritably. She had just spent the whole night evading the notice of pirate after pirate. She came back from her night walk feeling more tension than when she had left.

This had to end.

The pirates had been patrolling the inner isle since that first night when Uma had made her declaration, but Cassie hadn't realized until now just how many pirates there were patrolling her once pirate-free streets.

Every block or so she was dodging, ducking, and dropping to avoid the searching skyward-eyes of patrolling pirates. If (and it was beginning to feel more like 'when' nowadays) they did spot her she had to run, dash, and maneuver her way free of their pursuit. These last few days had turned her most beloved activity into a mental minefield of anxiety and fear.

Armed with indignant rage and nothing but a fierce determination to rip her so called 'soulmate' a new one, Cassie re-exited her home with only a few hours left until dawn.

This had to end and she planned to make it end.

* * *

**Author's note:**

**Two weeks without a new post** is the longest I have left this story, but fear not I am not abandoning the story. I simply was super busy with work and then a week long vacation to New Orleans (Yay! So much history and culture!). I have got to say that southern hospitality is a real thing. Wherever we walked people would be greeting us from their porches or kindly offering assistance. To sum it up, the worst part of our vacation was seeing other tourists conducting themselves rudely. We will definitely be happy to re-visit New Orleans but next time we will schedule it away from Mardi Gras (which was great to see but we don't need to see it more than once). Anyone from New Orleans reading this?

All that aside I was happy to see that while I was away and busy with life that this story received **more followers and favorites!** Thank you to all who chose to follow/favorite the story!

**Review Recognition:**

_**Lottielue1:** Thanks for your thoughts! I do love reading others predictions and interesting all your thoughts were considered already back when I was planning the story's ark. To answer your question, yes they will meet up soon. This is a romance story at its heart and I too miss having them meet._

_**Historic Soldier:** Fear not: he will definitely meet with her again!_

_**Heaven's Mistake:** I have to admit that was the reaction I was aiming for. Maddy, though fun in a crazy sort of way, does have her own agenda when it comes to Cassie. I think that so far as characters go she is the most complex and also the hardest to write._

_**animefreak112097:** Sorry the update took longer than usual._

_**Kim:** I am glad to hear that! Action sequences can be tricky and making the movements clear to see for readers is the hardest part. I often worry whether or not those part are confusing, if I am saying too much or too little._

_**AliceinWonderland13:** Hehe yes a cliffhanger! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!_

**Remember to favorite/review/follow!**

**If you follow this story you can know when I post a new chapter!**

**Thank you for reading and all the kind words!**


	13. I can feel you lurking

**Author's Notes:**

_I've said it before and I will say it again, **reviews are like a drink of fresh water to this author! They are my encouragement and my reason to keep writing and I appreciate every review no matter how short or long!**_

* * *

**Chapter 13: I can feel you lurking**

Sometime between her leaving her home and arriving at the roof-edge of the docks Cassie had felt her outrage simmer down. What was left of her outrage extinguished when she looked out at the old pirate ship docked near Ursula's Fish and Chips. The ship had three masts: the foremast, the main mast, and the mizzen mast; each had three sails, seemingly all square-rigged. Despite looking like it had seen better days Cassie knew that the ship served as the headquarters to Uma and her pirate crew. As such, she also knew that it was probably crawling with pirates. She was fully in pirate territory and could be spotted at any moment.

Every reason-minded part of her screamed for her to turn around and run home before the last veils of darkness gave way to illuminating dawn. No amount of outrage was worth dying over. She could avoid them if she changed her tactics, crouched lower, maybe even avoided rooftops entirely.

Yet, when mentally prompted with the image of pirates shadowing and chasing her, she could feel that too-real outrage licking at her insides again, burning away any remaining threads of logic.

Her eyes scanned the area below and in front of her. Directly below her, parallel to the coastline, was a narrow covered passage that looked as if it was a pop-up market. The narrow stretch was probably where the pirates sold and fenced their ill-gotten goods. Hanging scraps of cloth wove their way up and down the ceiling and were accompanied by ladders precariously neglected here and there. Hand-painted advertisements promoting various products affirmed Cassie's suspicion that this place served as a market of sorts. Further away towards the sea was a small maze of docks that looked like it had been built after the Isle became home to the original villains. The dock was a combination of shoddy workmanship and aged wood complete with ropes and netting hanging off nearly every piece of railing. Hand-painted signs littered the place as well along with carefully spaced out lanterns that seemed to be their substitute for street-lights. The first rays of light were coming over the far Auradon mountains, offering enough light that anyone who cared to look up would spot her.

By her observations, no one on the ship was awake yet or at least no one was up on the top deck for her to see.

Cassie used one of the neglected ladders to climb her way down into the pop-up market.

With her feet planted firmly on the packed dirt and a healthy fire of outrage licking at her insides, she pulled up her hood over her head, tucking her cat-ears out of sight, and ducked into a narrow crevice. The crevice was wedged between two brick buildings and was further hidden from anyone who might walk through the market by the tall wooden stall that was directly in front of the crevice. Hidden between two brick walls and behind a wooden stall, the shadows were particularly and unusually dark. The market was already so dark that as soon as she stepped into the crevice her pure-black outfit blended with the stark shadows. She was angry but she was not blind to the dangers ahead of her. If she was going to step foot on that ship she intended to learn as much as she could from observation first.

From the shadows of the buildings, Cassie's eyes focused beyond the stall in front of her and zeroed in on the aged ship. Likewise she stretched her hearing towards the ship, hoping to catch any small talk that might come up.

If they were going to stalk her then it was only fair that she paid them back in kind.

~...~...~

Harry Hook emerged from his quarters feeling the freshness of the sea-soaked air in a way he hadn't for months, maybe longer. Harry looked over, past the ship railing, at the the dark ocean. The faintest hints of light were on the horizon; the purple night sky melted to the gentler yellows and oranges touching the horizon. The light however didn't illuminate the dark ocean but only made it seem deeper and as though there was a great gloom in the moving waters. Despite this gloom the ocean breeze was a gentle whisper. Salty kisses caressed his cheeks and the breeze tousled his raven-brown hair. On mornings like this the wind would play with the sails of the harbor boats, fluttering their flags as it pushed along the clouds. Harry closed his eyes to the lullaby of the sea, soaking in the gentle breeze and its robust salty breath.

The ocean breeze coated his exposed skin in a light mist of salt-water. His skin would be salty to taste but at the moment the mist gave the perfect coolness to keep him in the present. It was times like this that Harry felt happy, just soaking in the first rays of light and the ocean breeze. A wisp of a smile materialized on his lips. After a moment longer of appreciating the morning breeze and its salt-water kisses Harry turned towards the gangway.

It would be a couple hours more before Uma or Gil were even awake for him to share his new theory with but he knew he could not sleep on the news. He was convinced that he was moving in the right direction and closing in on the little kitty. With that electric feeling keeping him awake, he settled on the idea of a morning stroll until it was late enough for Uma or Gil to be awake. Walks were Harry's way of coping with bouts of insomnia or puzzles.

The idea that he had narrowed down so closely where his little kitty could be was too delicious. His content smile was slowly growing into a cat's grin.

The first mate felt the morning chill through his thin leather. Distracted with his own thoughts he took the most direct route over the docks out of habit and turned into the empty pirates' market. His recent discovery had been more than satisfactory and his mood was similarly good. After his sudden breakthrough every part of him felt electric thinking about the buildings of the inner plaza. He could feel it; somewhere on that street was where she lived.

Despite being completely in his own head, he was not oblivious to his own surroundings. One couldn't afford to be completely oblivious on the Isle. More than his own physical surroundings though, Harry was acutely aware of the pull that he only felt when _she_ was near. The pull he was currently feeling.

_She was near? What was Cassie doing in pirate territory?_

Harry couldn't help the bubble of hope that he felt. His cruder and more isle-worn inner voice warned that he was being unrealistic if he thought she was there for him and reminded him of the last time he had seen her.

The sight of her running away was not an easy image to argue with.

Still, he felt it and even his isle-worn inner voice couldn't deny that. Harry was only a few blocks away from the docks and the Lost Revenge. She pulled him like the North Pole pulled a compass needle.

After a few turns it clicked to Harry that she was not moving away or staying still—she was following _him. _From a distance, but he could feel it without a doubt; she was keeping pace with him. Harry resisted the urge to turn around and follow that pull right to her. Instead he continued his walk, all while a maelstrom of strategies swirled through his thoughts.

~...~...~

From her shadowy crevice Cassie watched and waited. She was beginning to lose interest when a silhouette emerged from the aft of the ship, drawing her eyes back into focus. Within moments her amber eyes had adjusted and were focused on the dark silhouette against the yellows and oranges of the horizon.

Even though the details from her distance weren't enough to make out the male's features Cassie knew who it was. She could _feel_ it.

_Hook_.

"_What are you doing?"_ Cassie whispered as she strained her eyes to see his features. The lighting was too poor though. She knew he was looking at the ocean but she couldn't make out the finer details that might tell her what he was looking for or thinking.

He stayed like that for a minute, maybe more, just looking out at the ocean. It gave Cassie time to wonder what a pirate would think looking at the ocean. When she looked at the ocean all she saw was dangerous and foreign waters. Was the ocean familiar to a pirate, like an old friend, or did they see the danger of it too and think of it like an enemy to be conquered? She couldn't continue that line of thought for long though.

Harry was on the move again. He was heading off the ship and towards her at a brisk pace. In no time he passed the docks and was strutting through the empty market. He hadn't seen her so far but she knew better than to become complacent.

Cassie took a deep inhale and prepared to follow. She kept a careful distance, far enough away that it was unlikely he would sense her but close enough that he didn't disappear from her line of sight for too long.

Again she found herself wondering what he was doing. He didn't seem to be walking to any particular place or direction, but instead wandering aimlessly. The more he wandered the less she saw any signs of them being in pirate territory. Slowly the maze of alleys and turns grew less colorful. The canvas of colorful patchwork cloths and banners dwindled until there were none left. The signs and stalls cut off after a few turns, giving way to empty alleyways that would be indistinguishable from those in the inner isle if not for the fact that any presence of streetlights was replaced by hanging lanterns.

Wherever Harry was walking it was secluded. Alone was perfect. If he was alone that meant she could—

Cassie suddenly realized she had no clue what her plan was to make him stop looking for her. Was she going to threaten him, attempt to bribe him, maybe just yell at him and demand he stop. She wasn't sure how effective any of those would be.

She halted as soon as she saw that Harry had come to a dead-stop at the middle of an alley. Harry still had his back to her, he was facing where the alley ended and opened up to a narrow wooden pathway that bordered the ocean.

_What the hell was he doing?_

Cassie slipped behind the brick corner at the start of the alley.

"_I can feel you lurking."_ Harry's deep voice carried clearly to her and chilled the blood in her veins.

Coming here without a plan had been a mistake.

_What the hell was she going to do?_

The way Cassie saw it she had two options; she could retreat and hope he didn't follow her or she could confront him and do what she had come here to do.

It took every ounce of strength she had but the little cat stepped out from behind the brick and took a few faltering steps forward.

_Just bluff._

"It took you long enough." Cassie called back, cocking her hip before resting her hands on them.

Looking at the pirate in front of her, she realized her mistake clear as day. Hook was armed with a sword hanging from his hip and his signature hook—and all she had were her nails. However, realizing her mistake didn't mean she was free from its consequences. Cassie knew that all too well.

At her response Hook turned around, a charming smirk making his already handsome face look (she hated to admit it) sexy.

"I dinnae mean to disappoint luv," Harry was all charm and flirtation but Cassie could sense just the smallest bit of edge, "Ah was lookin' for a quiet spot where we wouldnae be interrupted." It didn't take a genius to figure why he was on edge, but the intentional magnetic qualities he was radiating did a fine job at both masking his true feelings and distracting her at the same time. His accent didn't help her focus any either. Harry's voice was already deep and alluring, but when he chose to emphasized his accent he was practically irresistible.

Contrary to her feelings Cassie schooled anger back to her face and voice, "Well if you were hoping to stay on my good side you shouldn't have asked your pirate friends to stalk me."

_Bluff him._

"Call them off _or else._" Or else _what_ she didn't know. She could threaten to disappear again but there wasn't much else she could do to him. In every way imaginable Harry was more powerful; from physical strength to connections she knew she couldn't challenge him. He seemed to know this.

The first mate closed the gap between them, Cassie held her ground as he came closer with each step. He was stone-faced as he approached, never giving away his inner thoughts or feelings.

Was he going to call her bluff? Did she even have anything to try and bribe him with?

Harry Hook stopped only a few feet shy of her.

* * *

**Review Recognition:**

_**SARITA1998:** This chapter and the next are them meeting! I certainly hope my chapter quality doesn't go down~ I try to give it my best (though admittedly I am more tired from work lately)._

_**Heaven's Mistake: **I appreciate your kind words! Thank you for continuing to support me and always giving me your thoughts on the chapters!_

_**Lottielue1:** Thank you! I'm glad you liked that I had it come from someone other than him! And yes haha this and the next chapter will be "Hassie"_

_**Kim:** I hope this doesn't come off wrong but I am glad that you feel unnerved by Maddy. I was really hoping that would be the emotion that would come across to you guys._

**Remember to favorite/review/follow!**

**If you follow this story you can know when I post a new chapter!**

**Thank you for reading and all the kind words!**


	14. Ah'm concerned 'bout yeh kitty

**Previously on SoulMarked...**

_"It took you long enough." Cassie called back, cocking her hip before resting her hands on them._

_Looking at the pirate in front of her, she realized her mistake clear as day. Hook was armed with a sword hanging from his hip and his signature hook—and all she had were her nails. However, realizing her mistake didn't mean she was free from its consequences. Cassie knew that all too well._

_At her response Hook turned around, a charming smirk making his already handsome face look (she hated to admit it) sexy._

_"I dinnae mean to disappoint luv," Harry was all charm and flirtation but Cassie could sense just the smallest bit of edge, "Ah was lookin' for a quiet spot where we wouldnae be interrupted." It didn't take a genius to figure why he was on edge, but the intentional magnetic qualities he was radiating did a fine job at both masking his true feelings and distracting her at the same time. His accent didn't help her focus any either. Harry's voice was already deep and alluring, but when he chose to emphasized his accent he was practically irresistible._

_Contrary to her feelings Cassie schooled anger back to her face and voice, "Well if you were hoping to stay on my good side you shouldn't have asked your pirate friends to stalk me."_

_Bluff him._

_"Call them off or else." Or else what she didn't know. She could threaten to disappear again but there wasn't much else she could do to him. In every way imaginable Harry was more powerful; from physical strength to connections she knew she couldn't challenge him. He seemed to know this._

_The first mate closed the gap between them, Cassie held her ground as he came closer with each step. He was stone-faced as he approached, never giving away his inner thoughts or feelings._

_Was he going to call her bluff? Did she even have anything to try and bribe him with?_

_Harry Hook stopped only a few feet shy of her._

* * *

**Chapter 14: ****Ah'm concerned 'bout yeh kitty**

Cassie was surprised to look up into his pale blue gemstone eyes and see gentleness rather than the hardness she had expected. _Why were his eyes always so much kinder than she expected?_

"Yeh dinnae need ta threaten mae kitty." his accent was thick and his voice was undisguised and ever-so-smooth. Cassie shuddered as the hand not holding his hook tentatively came up to caress her cheek, "Ah'd gladly give yeh anythin' ye ask for, Cassie."

And looking into those gemstone eyes she believed him. She believed every word. He was willing to give her anything she asked for. She only needed to ask. Everything her father had warned her about and everything she had thought about Harry before based on the words on her skin paled. As she looked into those eyes all she saw was untold promises.

It was frightening and thrilling all at once.

His fingers tenderly slid back and stretched to the back of her neck, causing a second shudder, this one in delight. Harry raised an eyebrow at her reaction before a sense of understanding crossed his features and he experimentally massaged at that same spot with his ring-clad fingers. Cassie absolutely loathed herself for letting him get close enough to find her weak spot. Much to her chagrin she had one weakness and Harry had swiftly and intuitively located it.

She had long suspected it was her cat-side but one rub to that area at the nape of her neck and all thoughts and reservations crumbled to dust in the wind.

Her mind was blissfully blank. Disregarding all manner of composure and dignity, she tilted her head ever-so-slightly back into his still-moving fingers. With her neck tilted, his face was that much closer to hers. She could feel her cheeks color at the intimacy of their position. Internally she was torn between letting him continue and stopping him, but she already knew the battle was lost. Harry's smile had dimmed to a twitch at the corners of his lips and his pale gemstone eyes had darkened to the point that she had to focus to see the blue in them. The way he was looking at her...she didn't have words for it but it made the breath in her throat hitch in anticipation.

"Ah'm concerned 'bout yeh kitty," Harry spoke thickly, his warm breath ghosting over her skin, "Yeh have enemies an' I cannae protect ye without yer help." Harry affectionately stroked her jawline with his thumb as his other hand slid behind her, coming to rest at the small of her back, pulling her ever so slightly closer. She could feel the cool metal of the hook's finger guard resting against her back. Dimly, through the fog, she was reminded that Harry was not just any pirate but _Harry Hook_. Yet, looking into those eyes she couldn't seem to care what his name or past was.

"Wh-what do you want from me?" Cassie barely managed the whispered words through the heated fog over her brain. Harry's words and actions were scattering her thoughts and making it difficult for her to form complete sentences. Cassie could feel her stomach twisting into a tightened swirl of heat as his ringed-fingers continued their ministrations.

"Ye know what Ah want luv," Harry's voice was practically a groan, "Hades, Cassie..." and those two half-moaned words had her heartbreak fluttering. Cassie was no fool and not as innocent as her lifestyle might insinuate. She knew what men and women did together or at least she had a general enough sense. She'd be lying if she said Harry's words were not stirring feelings in her.

"'Fore that though, Ah need ye safe." Harry rested his forehead against hers. The action gave her a deep feeling of connection and felt mentally intimate. She could feel reassurance and comfort flowing from him into her. Cassie inhaled the scent of fresh sea salt, leather, and sandalwood.

"I don' care 'bout whatever ya did 'fore we met, I can help with whatever ye got yerself into." he muttered with warmth, his fingers were melting her willpower into a puddle as he affectionately nuzzled his nose against hers. "Jus' tell me one thing _Cassie_," and the way he said her name was as seductive as what his fingers were doing to her neck, "Who wan's ye dead?"

Just like that the moment was over. The warm pool inside her froze over and her insides turned to cold spaghetti. Like a bird shot out of the air she could feel the initial shock and then the plummet. Harry had pulled a saccharine haze over her and muddled her thoughts—_and she had let him!_

With a fresh rush of adrenaline and shame coursing through her veins Cassie grabbed his wrist and arm with a death-grip, digging her nails into his skin before throwing his own limbs back at him and taking a step back.

"You're dangerous." her amber eyes were like molten lava as she glared at the man before her. Harry Hook was dangerous in every definition of the word. He was just as capable of killing her as he was of locking her up with love.

"Dammit Cassie, yer at it! I'm tryin' ta help!" Harry's frustration quickly washed away his warmth, "Yer the one who tells me they're in danger and then goes an' runs off."

"I never asked you to protect me! I never asked you to follow me!"

"And I never asked ye ta be my soulmate!" Harry countered.

"Well that makes two of us!" Cassie's face was positively red with rage and her amber eyes were like small flames.

In the silence that followed Cassie watched with bemusement as Harry's own anger faded and his whole spirit sunk.

"Dammit." he cursed under his breath, "Yer—you." He huffed a breath of frustration but his anger had passed, "Yer in danger Cassie, ye said so yerself. I could help."

"It's not your job to protect me." Cassie practically hissed, taking another step back as she glared, daring him to stop her. That seemed to slap his anger back to life.

"Well maybe it should be! Because yer doin' a bang up job so far!" Harry roared, before growling, "Tell me _kitty_, how's yer hiding goin'? Cause I got a new SoulMark that ain't from our lil' talks." Harry didn't give any warning before lifting his shirt enough to show his new SoulMark.

Regardless of her feelings Cassie couldn't help how her eyes were drawn to the dark red word scrolled across his lowest rib.

_**Curious. **_

Cassie's eyes widened at the word. She recognized it.

"_Maddy_."

She hadn't meant to say the word aloud but it escaped her lips regardless. Quickly her eyes flicked up to Harry's to see if he had heard her.

He had.

"'Maddy'?" He echoed back to her, "As in _Mad_ Maddy?" Her silence was all the answer he seemed to need.

"Are ye mental?" Harry's face had contorted to a snarl, "Mad Maddy is dangerous."

"More dangerous than you?" Cassie countered, not liking the insinuation that she was crazy.

"Yes!" Harry growled, his eyes were dark and his voice was like the rumble of thunder, "Yer daft if ye think for a second that I'd hurt yeh." the rumble softened to a growl, "Mad Maddy has no respect for life."

Cassie honestly couldn't think of what to say in response to that.

After a brief silence wherein the two stared the other one down, Harry finally let out a huff of breath. His eyes were calmer again, pale blue again.

"I'm not tryin' ta control ye...I jus'..." he sighed again, his frustration was still there but she could see he was trying, "Why'd ye talk to her?"

Some part of her resented that he was making that effort just because she was his soulmate.

"It wasn't by choice," Cassie grumbled out, "I was only there for food and she caught me. She threatened to turn me into the Queen if I didn't talk to her. I...didn't known you would get another mark." The last part was said as if it was an apology of sorts. Maybe it was. Cassie didn't know enough about Harry to know how he felt about getting SoulMarks.

Meanwhile the memory of her erratic and unsettling conversation with Maddy was enough to bring a sense of dread to Cassie. She didn't need Harry to tell her that Maddy was dangerous. She knew that all on her own. Everything about the aqua-green witch screamed unstable and the fact that she had connected the dots between Cassie and the Queen was almost as unnerving as the way she looked at the little cat.

"The Queen? As in the Queen of Hearts?"

As soon as those words passed through Harry's lips Cassie realized the mistake she had made. Her blood chilled in her veins. She hadn't realized her slip-up during their conversation. That information in the wrong hands might as well be a death certificate. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_

"Shite Cassie, what the bloody hell did ye do?"

Maybe it was the accusation, maybe it was the way that his concern made her anxiety peak, but Cassie snapped at him, "What did I do? I've never even met her!"

"Then why is she after you?" Harry urged, stepping forward to re-close the gap between them, "She's right mad but she isn't that loony."

"Because—" Cassie groaned, anger closing her throat. Of all the things in her life, the reason that the Queen was dangerous to her was the one thing she hated the most because it was what she had the least control over. Her father who she loved had been the one to earn the Queen's rage and hatred yet Cassie was stuck hiding in fear of the mad tyrant's wrath.

"Because what?"

"Because—my dad was the Cheshire Cat!" Cassie hissed sharply, her frustration sharpening her words like a whetstone to a blade.

She had never told anyone that. It had always been a closely held secret; one that if found out could be used to bring about her end.

Cassie could see the moment that understanding finally crossed Harry's face. Most people knew about her father's mischief towards the Queen and the Queen's numerous attempts to behead him. It wasn't too much of a stretch to think that the Queen would gladly take her revenge out on her enemy's daughter. Especially considering that Cassie didn't have the privilege of her father's magic on the isle. Her beheading would be final.

She felt sick.

"Cassie," Harry's voice was firm and slightly worried but Cassie felt too nauseated to focus. He repeated her name and took a step towards her, that was enough for her to force down the nausea and return the distance between them.

Harry frowned but didn't protest, "I'll talk to the Captain, see what we can do about your Queen problem."

Cassie's eyes shot up to his. After his words she was given a second shock still when she saw the determination in those pale blue orbs.

"In the meantime, you need to be careful. You can go back to the Goblin's Wharf." his voice was firm and he had a slightly guilt-ridden frown, "I'll make sure that our people stay away from there on the shipment nights."

Cassie couldn't help the amazement that passed over her. Harry Hook wasn't anything like what she had expected. Still, years of apprenticeship under her father had conditioned skepticism into her.

"Why?"

"It's safer than going back to where Mad Maddy can get you." Harry was obviously uncomfortable with the thought of her turning Cassie over to the Queen.

Though Cassie had to agree that going back to the Witch's School was unappealing, she also wasn't sure she trusted Harry to not set another trap for her himself. Still there was one thing that was nagging at her insides.

"Why are you helping me?" She knew they were bonded but did that really explain everything? Would Harry act this way for anyone if they were his soulmate?

It was obvious Harry hadn't been expecting that question. His eyes widened minutely, giving away his inner thoughts that were otherwise hidden behind a mask of neutrality.

His surprise didn't last long however, in a moments time his signature rogue's smirk was in full-force, "Yer asking if I like ye aside from being SoulMarked?"

Cassie was embarrassed to admit he was right. The little cat gave a timid nod, self-aware of how telling her question and answer both were.

"Ah dinnae ken." his smirk was honest and charming, "Ah'd like ta find out in time though." and the lifted eyebrow and saucy wink he gave her left no mystery where he stood. Cassie felt her cheeks warm a little and gave a small smile in return.

"Have ye reconsidered joining our crew?" Harry offered, his flirtatious smirk was undermined by the obvious hope just under the surface.

"Not likely." Cassie gave him a wry smile in return and took another step back, feeling the timing of her exit approach.

He seemed to understand her intent. There was a pause before he locked eyes with her, "I want to see you again."

There was so much unsaid yearning in his eyes, such silent pleading in those pale gemstone that she paused her intended exit and couldn't find the heart to reject him outright.

"I'll be waiting at the Wharf."

Cassie frowned in distrust.

He seemed to read her expression and offered his own assurance, "Just me."

Cassie briefly turned her head away from him. Privately she allowed a small lopsided smile to herself.

"Even if you say no I'll still wait for you."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his signature smirk return.

"Then it doesn't matter what I say." The little cat quipped as she took another step back, now only a few steps away from the corner of the alley, though just as she reached the end of the alley she did give another lopsided smile, this time for him to see, as she stated, "Until next time then."

It was clear from his returning smile that he took her words as she had hoped.

"Aye."

It would be a few days more until the shipment.

* * *

_**Author's Note:** I wrote this and the last chapter initially as one big chapter but decided to break it up into two._

_**If you are wondering "What the Heck did Harry just say?":** _

_"I dinnae ken" is Scottish slang for "I don't know"_

_Dinnae = Don't_

_"_Dammit Cassie, yer at it!" = Damn it Cassie, you're acting ridiculous.

Also: I did not intentionally write "had her heartbreak fluttering" but when I went to fix it I realized I like it, so I kept it.

**REVIEW RECOGNITION:**

**Heaven's Mistake**:_ Hehehe but making cliffhangers is so much fun. Hmm, that is concerning though that you didn't get your notification about the new chapter. I hope you got this one alright! If not you might want to message the sites maintenance. Thank you for that recognition, I honestly enjoy it-even if sometimes I am too tired to think about it for a while._

_**Historic Soldier:** Thank you for taking the time to review! I hope you continue to support this story/me~_

**Kim:** _Awww thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it!_

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**If you follow this story you can know when I post a new chapter!**

**Thank you for reading and all the kind words!**


	15. They're your family

**_Author's Note:__ Bear with me please as I make typos and correct them after posting-If you notice any typos/confusing sentences feel free to make them known to me._**

**_Without any further ado...your recap and then the next chapter._**

* * *

**_Previously on SoulMarked..._**

_He seemed to understand her intent. There was a pause before he locked eyes with her, "I want to see you again...__I'll be waiting at the Wharf."_

_Cassie frowned in distrust. _

_He seemed to read her expression and offered his own assurance, "Just me."_

_Cassie briefly turned her head away from him. Privately she allowed a small lopsided smile to herself._

_"Even if you say no I'll still wait for you." _

_Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his signature smirk return._

_"Then it doesn't matter what I say." The little cat quipped as she took another step back, now only a few steps away from the corner of the alley, though just as she reached the end of the alley she did give another lopsided smile, this time for him to see, as she stated, "Until next time then." _

_It was clear from his returning smile that he took her words as she had hoped._

_"Aye."_

_It would be a few days more until the shipment._

* * *

**Chapter 15: They're your family**

Harry Hook took long strides over the cobblestone streets back towards the coast and in the direction of the Lost Revenge.

Harry's original news for Uma and Gil was forgotten in the wake of the conversation he had had with Cassie. His mind was fixed on how the conversation had ended with an informal promise of another meeting. Oh and how he looked forward to that meeting. Every moment he spent with her felt _right_. He had only gotten a little taste of what his days would be like with her but it was enough to make him want more. Harry had never felt so _alive_. Every part of him, mind and body, was drawn to her.

Cassie was seductive and elusive, like grabbing at a flame. Harry had never been so elated and frustrated in his life. While the chase was exciting now, he found himself wishing she would stand still long enough for him to catch her.

Cassie was equal parts beguiling and stubborn. While half of him wanted to ravish her the other half was tempted to shake some good sense into her.

How someone with such fiery wit couldn't figure out that he had no reason to hurt her, but every reason to want to protect her was beyond him. For one reason or another, she was so stubbornly convinced that he was bad that he had no idea how to counter it. He couldn't even say for certain whether it was about soulmates in general or about him in particular. The first one he couldn't figure out the motivation for or even guess at the source of such hate, but the second one he thought he had a clue about. If she had been getting his SoulMarks all this time then she had no doubt some nasty words on her skin. Words that would define him whether he liked it or not.

That line of thought was a long, dark path though and he'd rather not dwell on what words might be on her skin. Though thinking about her skin wasn't an unwelcome thought on its own. Despite his years of flirtation and play-acting with the opposite sex Harry couldn't help the heat he felt in his neck and cheeks at that thought. Despite being renowned as something of a player on the isle; only he, Uma, and Gil knew the truth of the matter. Harry could flirt with the best of them, but when it came to the real thing he knew next to nothing. He knew even less about love.

Harry turned the corner, noting with content the comforting presence of both lanterns and colorful cloth decorations. He was back in the heart of pirate territory. The market was still not full, not like it would be in a few hours, but a few enterprising isle-residents had begun to set up their stalls. Soon the rest would follow and by noon a steady stream of customers, thieves, and pirates would filter in and out.

Hook kept a brisk pace, mindful not to glance in the stalls directions lest the owners take that as him showing interest and pounce on him as a potential customer. Harry did however take enough time to employ one of the stall owner's children to serve as a messenger for him with directions to go and fetch Gil. The shrimp of a kid was off in no time and happy at the payment Harry placed in her small hands. Harry felt a twitch of a smile as the squirt ran off but gave the child no more thought as he went back on his way to the chip shoppe. In no time he was in Ursula's Fish and Chips. Harry would have to wait for Uma to rise on her own and come out, since he was in no mood to risk sneaking past Ursula to wake her. There were very few brave or foolish enough to attempt that after how the last attempt had ended. A whip from Ursula's tentacles was not to be taken lightly...

Fortunately he didn't have to wait long.

Gil was the first to come in, red-faced and shaggy-haired under his bandanna as if he had just rolled out of bed and ran there.

_He probably had._

"You called a meeting? What's up?" Gil had caught his breath quickly and was already removing his bandanna to fix his hair under it.

"Aye." Harry couldn't still the grin pulling at the corners of his lips, "I had a little chat with our favorite kitty."

Gil's eyes lit up with excitement. His preening was put aside for a moment as he focused his attention solely on Harry, "Cassie?"

Harry smiled good-naturedly, used to Gil's excitement and his simple questions, "Aye."

"Yes!" Gil was not jumping per say, but he was definitely bobbing up and down with excitement, "We've got to wake Uma." the blonde declared eagerly.

Harry watched as Gil's face lit up and crumbled in turns as he considered the actually consequences of that idea, finally the muscled teen groaned in exasperation, "We can't wake Uma, but, ahh, waiting is so—"

"Will you two at least _try_ to not wake up my mom?" came a feminine voice from the employee only entrance.

Both boys turned to face the teal-haired captain. She was not yet dressed in her work clothes, work wouldn't be starting for hours still, but instead she was dressed in her usual colors of teal and black.

"Uma!" Gil greeted cheerfully. The first mate approached with a smile and came to stand by her side.

"What's all this about?" she asked, gesturing between the two of them and the fact that they were both there so early.

"I'm callin' a meetin'," Harry stated firmly, not asking for permission but stating the facts of it, "Our little kitty is in more trouble than we thought."

That got Uma's attention. With a raised brow and a look at the empty entrance, she nodded to the booth in the farthest, darkest corner. When they were unable to get down to their usual private spot, that particular booth served as their substitute meeting location. It was in the farthest corner from both the entrance door and from the employee entrance.

The three of them took their seats, Uma on one side and Harry and Gil sharing the opposite side. They would have to keep their voices quiet but it was better than many places on the Isle.

"Alright," Uma began in hushed but serious tones, "Spill it Harry."

And Harry did.

He explained their meeting and though he might have purposefully forgotten to mention how he had flirted and played with the little kitty he didn't leave out much else. He explained that for some reason she was resistant to him as a soulmate, explained her stubbornness, explained how his newest SoulMark was connected to Mad Maddy of all people, how Cassie had only given him the information about the Queen of Hearts by chance of a slip-up, he shared how he thought the Queen's motivation was revenge for her dad's tricks, and finally he explained his promise about the Goblin's Wharf. All the while the captain and Gil listened with rapt attention, not interrupting the first mate once until it was clear he had said his words and was done.

Uma was the first to speak when the time came, though it was clear from her expression that she was still wrapping her mind around all of it, "So Cassie thinks the Queen of Hearts is after her for revenge because of her dad?"

"T'aint secret her da an' the Queen were sworn enemies." Harry shrugged, as if it was no leap in logic that that hate transferred from father to daughter in the Queen's eyes. Uma frowned then, finding the argument lackluster at best. If Cassie were merely hiding from the Queen of Hearts then she could have joined their crew. Though upon reflection Uma came to a new perspective. If Cassie was as trigger-shy as Harry said then there must be a reason that she didn't trust soulmates. With that in mind, Uma tried to look at the offer from Cassie's perspective. The Lost Revenge had gained considerable territory and numbers over the last couple months but they still were no match for the Queen's strictly trained Royal Flush. Even separated from Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts had maintained a certain level of power and fear. Her power's foundation was the Royal Flush, the most ruthless of her executioners which had been declared guilty beyond redemption and banished to the Isle with their bloodthirsty queen. Looking at it like that, Uma almost understood Cassie's reservations. The Lost Revenge might have the numbers, but even if Cassie were to join them—so long as the Queen was out there she wasn't safe. It was best to be invisible.

Though Uma had to wonder how invisible she was after all their poking around. They might have inadvertently caused more complications while asking around.

Harry and Uma exchanged a look. Judging by Harry's guilt-ridden expression, Uma suspected he had been holding similar thoughts.

This time it was Gil to add in his two cents, "I once heard Lizzie talking about how, more than Alice or anyone else, her mom hated the Cheshire Cat. Something about blaming him for the whole Alice thing and her banishment here." Gil shrugged, "Lizzie doesn't talk about her mom much so that's all I know."

Uma took in this information with a more thoughtful expression than the actual info warranted. It became clear why when she spoke next, "Gil."

The muscular blonde looked his captain in the eyes, golden brown to dark brown, "Yeah?"

"Lizzie is your sister-in-law," Uma saw Gil open his mouth and added quickly, "Of sorts." She was aware that Gaston Jr and Lizzie were not _technically_ married. Though in her mind being soulmates and having a child together was as close to that as most Isle residents got. Which brought her to her next thought, "When the chips fall, Lizzie might side with her mom, in which case you're in an awkward situation..."

Gil's cheer dropped visibly.

"You're not suggesting he'd betray us." Harry frowned critically. He didn't for a second believe Gil would turn against them.

Uma chose her next words carefully, "I'm not accusing you of anything, but I know that you care about Lizzie and your nephew. If you stay here you might be put in a situation where you can't afford to be neutral anymore and have to make a choice." And in a rare moment of genuine kindness and compassion Uma reached her hand out across the booth and took Gil's into her own before saying her next words as intentionally as she could manage, her tone willing the muscular blonde to understand she had only the best intentions in her heart for him, "I'd prefer if you didn't _have_ to make that choice at all."

"What are you saying?" Gil looked wide-eyed and alarmed. It was obvious to Harry what Gil was fearing; Gil didn't want to be rejected; kicked out and abandoned from the only real home and friends he knew.

"I'm saying..." and this was where Uma knew she had to choose her words very, very carefully, "I don't doubt your loyalty to us and the crew, but Gil, if it came to it, could you fight your own family for us?"

"I..." Gil's wide-eyed look morphed into something much sadder. Even worse than his fear of being rejected was his feeling right now as he truly considered what he would do if asked to do that.

Uma's frown wasn't cruel or disappointed like so many times before, her frown at that moment was watery and pained. She knew what that answer would be for half the crew but not many of them felt anything for their relations. Gil however felt deeply for everyone he met, never mind the blind and unfiltered love he had for his nephew which extended to the mother of his nephew. And betraying Lizzie wouldn't just be a betrayal to her and his nephew but of his brothers as well. Gil would be isolating his whole family in a single stroke all for someone he had never met.

Harry for his part wanted to avoid that fate for Gil. He gently placed his hand on the muscular teens shoulder, "Mate, ye don' need to make that decision. Cassie's _my_ soulmate an' the Queen of Hearts is her and my problem. Maybe ye can sit this one out?"

While the blonde appreciated his friends offer of an out, it felt wrong for him to take it.

Wordlessly the teen shook his head.

"I want to help."

Uma wore a mask of indifference, "Are you sure?"

Gil nodded, but Uma wouldn't let him agree that easily, "They're your family." He needed to fully understand the weight of his decision.

Gil looked a little guilty but nodded again, "I know, and...I still don't have an answer. I can't say what I will do, but I know I won't betray you guys."

Now Uma allowed the mask of indifference to melt, giving way to a sympathetic smile, "I know you won't Gil."

"Now—" her brown orbs got a sharp glint to them, "What do we know about the Queen of Hearts?"

~...~...~

Lizzie Hearts, daughter of the Queen of Hearts, was prepping for the morning appointments when she heard a faint whimper from behind the curtain. The whimper grew to an insistent cry as Lizzie ducked behind the curtain and through the hidden doorway.

"Oh, Quinton." Lizzie cooed as she picked up her baby boy. Lizzie's heart swelled and her smile grew as Quinton settled against her chest restfully. Looking into his sleepy brown eyes Lizzie knew she would do anything for her son. Quinton might not have been planned but he was a blessing. He had brought so much happiness and fulfillment to her. He had become the best part of her life. Her one regret was that her son would be raised on the Isle within her mother's grasp.

Growing up under her mother had been an evil she wouldn't inflict on anyone, let alone her child...

Lizzie, back when she was known as Elizabeth, had experienced oppression on a scale like no other. The Queen of Hearts was obsessed with absolute rule and execution. Elizabeth did not get a loving mother, but a ruler. Her mother did not even see her as a living person, but rather as a means to get flattery and status. Elizabeth's heart burned with shame remembering how complacent she had been before, bowing her head to her mother's every whim and struggled and strained to do as her mother wished.

Her mother only saw Elizabeth as a means of competing with the Evil Queen for status. Every time Evie achieved something, Elizabeth was forced to practice and practice to serve her mother's goals. She was an expensive toy, a symbol of status, a cup for the queen to fill with whatever she wished. If the dehumanization of her had been the extent of it, Lizzie would be fine. It wasn't of course.

Her mother was the Queen of Hearts; a cruel, volatile tyrant with bloodlust. The things Lizzie had seen her mother do, had heard her order without a second thought...the _punishments_ Lizzie had endured.

Etiquette lessons with her mother were the worst. Any minor mistake would result in a fierce crack from the riding whip her mother always carried. More often than not the lessons only ended when Lizzie was too bloodied and trembling from pain to continue. Lizzie knew that her mother would never allow Quinton to be anything but another vessel for her to shape and fill.

With a shudder Lizzie remembered the half-starved kitten she had brought home one night. Her mother had raged, ready to toss the poor creature out the second story window—and she would have if Lizzie's father hadn't stepped in and calmed her. That was when Lizzie had first realized how much her mother hated all cats, all because of the Cheshire cat. Her father had been the only person alive who could ever calm her mother from her tantrums. Somehow he even managed to convince her mother to allow Lizzie to keep the kitten until it was old enough to care for itself. At the time, her mother's glare was a black vortex of rage. That should have been her first warning. Lizzie had been a fool. She had thought she had won for once.

No.

Lizzie woke the next morning with a dead kitten, its belly cut open so Lizzie knew it was no accident or natural occurrence.

Her mother was _punishing her_ for disobeying.

In a rage Lizzie responded by throwing away her mother's best knives. Her mother was not impressed and, not to be outdone, she had her men gather all the neighborhood cats. And to make sure she was extra clear, the Queen of Hearts left a surprise for her eleven year old daughter to wake up to: a bed covered with dead cats. After that, Lizzie's dad convinced her mom to stop, but there was an unspoken understanding between her mother and her. If Lizzie defied her again the punishment would be much, much _worse_.

As much as Lizzie hated to admit it, her mother had shaped who she had become. The Queen of Hearts had shaped her into the fierce, strong, eloquent, and ruthless woman that she was—but in the process she had neglected to make Lizzie love her.

No, there was no love between her and her mother. The Queen had no motherly affections, all those had been given by her father who had taken care to raise her and provide for her needs. Her father had been the one to sooth her mothers temper most times when Evie bested Elizabeth. Her father had been the one to teach her to read and write, had been the one to tuck her into bed. He was who Lizzie modeled her parenting after. Ever ounce of love she possessed she had gotten from her father and Gaston Jr.

Lizzie wished with all her heart that it was her mother, and not her father, who was dead. However, the world was cruel and unfair.

Quinton was safe from her mother for now, after all the Queen despised taking care of fussy babies. But Lizzie knew that as soon as Quinton grew the Queen would take an interest in him. She would force those same horrendous etiquette lessons on her precious baby boy. She would shape her child into someone the Queen saw fit.

Lizzie had one bargaining chip that she was holding for her son. She would do whatever necessary to give her son a better life than she had had.

Lizzie heard Quinton whimper in complaint and realized she had been holding him too tightly. With a sense of shame, the young mother loosened her grip carefully and looked down at the sweet bundle in her arms.

"Shhh, Shhh" she shushed him gently, "I _will_ protect you."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_This week's chapter was Gil's dilemma and mother-Lizzie feelings. _

**REVIEW RECOGNITION:**

_**Historic Soldier: **You're quite right and I agree with you. I think judging people by names, labels, appearance is something that kids and adults alike struggle with though. Even the most mature people can use those things to make a judgement of someone before ever meeting them unfortunately. That particular trait used to be one of my worst habits and although I am sure I still do it from time to time, I like to think I try to be better. It's a process. _

**Lottielue1: **_Hehehe, your review honestly made me smile. I'm glad you really liked it. I can't clarify your wondering because I don't want to give spoilers~ I will say however: you have good thoughts._

**Heaven's Mistake**: _Oh no, good frustration or bad frustration? Thank you for your comment though! I'm glad you still enjoyed it even though you got frustrated~_

**SmallstheMouse: **_Hello! I'm glad you're hooked! (P.S. puns are always welcome and appreciated)._

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**Thank you for reading and all the kind words!**


	16. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

**Author's**** note:**** This weeks chapter is just a short one for now. I'm still working on the rest, but since I know a lot of people are stuck at home self-****quarantining**** I figured I would post. **

**Without any further ado...Enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 16: _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_**

Underneath her black hood, Cassie felt heat radiating from her whole face as she ran from the coast. Even the cool morning air wasn't enough to douse the flames in her cheeks.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

How is it that every time she ran into him he managed to weaken her resistance?

As the little cat made her way through back alleys all she could think about was the promise she had made and the shameful way she had acted. He had turned her into putty in his hands! How had she let him get so close?

One second he was across the alley and the next he was right in front of her, making her heart race and her mind go into a heady trance.

Harry Hook had a way of thrilling her and soothing her. Despite all the words written on her skin, she knew deep down that he was no villain. She could hear it in his words. She could see in his gemstone eyes that he cared for her. Those pale blue eyes shook her to her core. Harry made no attempt to veil from her his desire. Beyond that desire though she knew there were unsaid whispers of loyalty.

Cassie's feet carried her silently through the streets while her mind was engrossed. The little cat didn't take notice of any of the buildings or alleys she passed because she was too preoccupied in recalling Harry's precise words and the feelings they had left her with.

'_Ah'd gladly give yeh anythin' ye ask for, Cassie...Ah'm concerned 'bout ye kitty'_

The more she heard from him, the harder it got to justify pushing him away.

_'I don' care 'bout whatever ya did 'fore we met, I can help with whatever ye got yerself into.'_

It was becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss and snub someone who seemed to genuinely want to help.

_'Yer daft if ye think for a second that I'd hurt yeh.'_

Even angry. Hades, Cassie could die of embarrassment and shame. For whatever reason Harry Hook was genuine about wanting to be with her.

_'Yer asking if I like ye aside from being SoulMarked?...__Ah dinnae ken.'_ She could remember that sly and charming smile of his, '_Ah'd like ta find out in time though.'_

If Cassie didn't need her eyes for walking she would cover her face in mortification. As it was she shifted her gaze downward and felt heat rushing throughout her chest and into the roots of her hair.

_'I want to see you again.'_

_'I'll be waiting at the Wharf...Just me...Even if you say no I'll still wait for you.'_

She got shivers just thinking about it.

Harry might not be what she thought he was...he might just be something better.

Sure, he was a pirate and a flirt—but ever since the SoulMarks _**Sadistic**_, _**Scary**_, and _**Murderer**_ appeared she had feared ever meeting him. Yet here she was making promises to do that exact thing because she had not wanted to disappoint him.

She knew what her father would feel about all this, yet Cassie found herself wishing she had been more tenacious in her youth. Maybe if she had asked him more questions, found out _why_ he felt the way he did about soulmates, then she could figure out what she should do next.

Would she really go to meet him in three days?

She shuddered to think what the green-haired witch would do if she didn't show up. Maddy would be expecting her in four days.

Cassie yearned for the days when her life was simpler and the days on a calendar were only used to mark when the new shipments would arrive. Now she was suddenly juggling meetings with two different people.

~...~...~

Days passed slowly after. Cassie found herself passing time with an anxiousness she hadn't expected. She had gone to the Goblins Wharf countless times before. Yet knowing he would be waiting there somehow made it feel so different. It set her heart aflutter and gave her dread in turns thinking about meeting him again.

So much had been said last time yet she was no closer to knowing who Harry really was. She got the sense her SoulMarks might be a little misleading. If she really was going to go then she wanted to have more of a sense of who she was dealing with. Did she even have the courage to go though? She had gone to the pirate's turf without thinking because she was angry and impulsive. But this wasn't either of those things. This was—she didn't know what this was but it wasn't like before when she hated him. She felt it now, no matter how much distance between them her attraction to him remained constant. He could go to the ends of the earth and still she would feel pulled towards him. There was something about them that matched.

Hades, how the days seemed to drag.

* * *

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**Thank you for reading and all the kind words!**


	17. Yer a chancer

_Hello my lovelies! I hope this chapter finds you well! Again I will try and keep the updates coming so that all of you who are self-quarantining can feel some sort of reward for your efforts! Keep it up! I know it can be hard to resist finding a reason to go out but do your best to be responsible._

_**Author's note**: I am posting this raw; edits for grammar etc will probably be caught in a day or two. In the meantime (no one has ever taken me up on this but) feel free to point out any grammar/wording errors so I might correct them quicker._

Without any further ado...

* * *

**Chapter 17: Yer a chancer**

There was a time and a place for the feelings that were welling up inside of her; sweat dripping from her brow, knife hilt-deep in another human's gut was admittedly not the time for it. Maddy couldn't help the quiver of excitement she felt though. The shocked fluttering of their brown pupils reminded her of Cassie. Maddy jerked her weapon out, reveling in the satisfying squelching noise that the action made and the even more satiating sound as they gasped a bubbly, bloody gasp before falling to their knees.

"Mmmm." Maddy hummed as she smiled down at her handiwork. Tomorrow night would be the night she would see _her_ little pussy cat again.

Maddy began humming her grandmother's favorite tune as she sauntered down the alley-way back towards the entrance where the other four of the Fearsome Five were keeping guard.

"You know," Ginny began, falling into line behind her as Maddy passed them, "Killing him was a little overkill." It was obvious from her tone that she actually didn't care. Ginny Gothel rarely cared. She certainly didn't care whether or not Maddy killed a pirate or two, except she considered it all a waste of time and unlike Maddy preferred more clean ways of killing. Ginny brushed her fizzy black hair over her shoulder.

Maddy's tune paused and her four companions stiffened visibly but their feet carried on like normal, acting as if an invisible wire hadn't just been plucked.

"So?" Maddy asked with a flippant tone, "Keeping him alive would have only caused us trouble. I'd prefer not to warn the enemy beforehand." That was the first peek into Maddy's plans any of the four had gotten since this pirate hunt had began.

"What about our brother?" Gaston Jr spoke up, a deep scowl creasing his forehead, "He's one of them."

"Your brother should keep better company." Maddy hissed, "If you so much as breath a word of warning to him and his friends you'll meet the same fate as our friend back there." Her tone was icy and left no room for argument.

Gaston Jr and Gaston the third shared concerned looks but zipped their lips. Maddy was not one for idle threats. That they were even getting a warning was a luxury from her. All they could do was hope that Cassie stayed away from their brother.

In two days time Maddy would either be meeting Cassie on the little cat's terms—or Maddy would be making arrangements to meet her on _her_ terms.

Maddy was also not one to leave anything to chance.

~...~...~

The little cat looked down at the wharf with expectation. If she had a tail it would be twitching back and forth in anticipation. She could see Harry, clear as day under the light of the waxing gibbous. The moon was big and near-round, surrounded by milky blackness and dark gray blurs that Cassie knew were the clouds that perpetually hung over the isle. Hook stood leaning against the lip of the alley. He was sporting his usual colors of red and black, though she noticed it was a tad less red and more black than usual. The curve of his signature hook was tapping impatiently against his thigh, otherwise he was completely still, though she noted the occasional turn of the head to check his surroundings. He was obviously puzzling whether or not she was showing or if he had just beaten her there.

_'Well, I should put the poor boy out of his misery._' Cassie thought with amusement.

Her feet fell on the cobblestone alley with a gentle, dull clap a few yards away—apparently enough to draw the pirate's attention.

"I was beginnin' to wonder if ye were showin' Kitty." Harry's grin was nothing less than the most breath-taking, sigh-producing thing Cassie had seen to date.

_'Oh he's good,'_ she thought ruefully as she recovered from the momentary daze.

"Girl's gotta eat." Cassie deadpanned in response, offering back her most challenging smirk, "And it's not like I could keep you away."

Now it was Harry's turn to smirk, a seductive little tilt of his lip that made his blue eyes glisten from within the thin lines of kohl, "Aye, quite right."

Cassie blamed the ensuing shiver on the cool night air.

"Come on." Cassie pushed a duffle bag into his chest, pointedly ignoring the fluttering of her heart.

Hook grabbed the bag and gave an askance look at the heavy-duty material in his hand before looking up at the little kitty, "Care to explain love?"

"You're here aren't you? I figure you might at well help." Cassie stared into those blue gemstones with open defiance, daring him to argue. Her defiance was moot of course, she knew he would help just like she knew he would be waiting for her.

Of course that didn't mean that he had expected to be a part of tonight's activities. That much was obvious from the slightly surprised look on his face, "Yer askin' me to help ye steal from the goblins?"

The corner of Cassie's lips pulled up in a cat's grin as she purred with a mirrored accent, "_'Aye.'_" Cassie quickly dropped the mock-accent as she teased playfully, "Isn't that what pirates do? Plunder ships."

Harry scoffed at that, "The isle ain't exactly ripe with opportunities."

Cassie paused, her mind wrapping around what his words suggested. It never occurred to her before that the bubble around the isle prevented the pirates from doing what made them pirates. It was with genuine curiosity that she asked her next question; "What about the shipments?"

"Ah," Harry cooed like she had just asked the right question, "The original villains, Da included, tried that. Ol' King Beast dinnae like that though. Made a show o' power an' _all_ shipments stopped for a month or more. Da tol' me an' my sisters that was a particularly dark period on the isle." Harry gave a nonchalant shrug, "Since then no one touches the ships."

That meant Hook had never actually robbed or plundered on the sea. Cassie was practically purring with this realization and couldn't resist the temptation to tease the other teen.

"How very law abiding." Cassie cooed teasingly, her hand patted his shoulder in mock-sympathy. The little cat was wearing a Cheshire's grin as she took a smooth step towards the Goblin's Wharf, her hand ghosting from his shoulder over his chest before fluidly falling back to her side, "And you call yourself a pirate?"

An unexpected chuckle erupted out of the pirate, "Yer a chancer, Cassie." Every time Hook thought he understood a part of her she had to go and surprise him again. He'd be lying if he said he didn't like it.

Cassie didn't know what that meant, but from the approving grin and humor in his voice she ventured a guess that it was good. Excitement hummed in her chest, "Let's go."

To Cassie's surprise Harry seemed to have a certain intuition about where they were headed as he followed her. It really shouldn't have been surprising, it made sense considering how much of his life he must have spent on ships.

The pair managed to silently slip below deck and down the familiar hall. It felt like it had been forever since she had last been under its low-ceiling and inside its pungent smell of grimy wood and sea salt. With the same care that she always took to be silent, Cassie slowly opened the door she knew held her goal and just as carefully closed it behind them both.

With a waxing gibbous offering its light through the small port window, Cassie's eyes quickly adjusted to the scant light and began to examine the goods. She gave an intentional look at the other teen beside her as she reached for and lifted the container lid, purposefully showing how carefully he should grab items so that it was not obvious anything had been taken before replacing the lid exactly as it had been. Harry deftly nodded and began to fill his own duffle bag.

Cassie allowed her mind to wander innocently as she shifted through stacks of stale bread. It was amazing how he had just fit into this part of her life with such ease. She had expected to have to direct him more, but it was with satisfaction that she noted that he was doing as fine a job as she would, carefully leaving no evidence of his pilfering.

Before she knew it they both had full bags and were just as silently ghosting their way back above deck and toward the cover of the alleyway. Cassie could feel that familiar electric excitement she got whenever she successfully got in and out without a hitch. That same electricity was coursing through Hook, she could sense it and it only served to amplify her own excitement. Cassie could feel a hearty laugh building in her heart before it finally burst out, making her have to bend over to catch her breath.

To her surprise Hook was laughing beside her, a more suppressed chuckle than a roar but it was still there and he was right beside her trying to catch his breath between his own laughter. Cassie would never admit it out loud but she loved how their laughter sounded together and the feeling she got watching him laugh—for once in her adult life she didn't feel lonely. Their eyes locked in that moment and slowly their laughter simmered down, though it was replaced by a heated crackling in the air between them.

Just then an idea struck her, making her smile wickedly before she even got it out, "You're—a pirate finally."

"Aye." Hooks voice was soft but his eyes were dark and unwaveringly locked with hers, "Cassie."

The shift in mood was not lost on her. The intensity was enough to make her nervous though.

"I—I better get these back." She lifted her own bag up to signify what she meant, "It was really great—"

"Cassie." Harry interrupted her nervous squirming. Vacantly she could hear the gentle echoing thuds of his feat stepping closer, but all she could comprehend at that moment was the smoldering intensity in his eyes as he approached her. The little cat found herself freezing in place even as her heart was thumping against her chest like it was trying to break out. Once again she found herself a breaths width from the pirate.

"What are you..." Cassie's question drifted off as she felt his breath on her lips. Her eyes flashed to his blue gemstones, looking for any hint of what he was thinking or planning. Hook's eyes were gentle, understanding even.

"You don' need to run off every time Kitty." His voice was husky and sent thrills down her spine.

"I don't—" It was a futile lie. She bit her lip in shame before restarting, honestly this time, "You're...intimidating."

"I tol' ye: I won' hurt ye Cassie. Ye don' need ta be scared of me." Cassie could feel heat rising up her neck and into her cheeks at his words. She knew that now. Whatever Harry was, he was no threat to her. He was so close, only an inch or two separating them. She could feel the heat radiating off of his body now, it was so inviting. That familiar scent of sea salt and sandalwood was intoxicating.

"I don't mean it like that." it took every ounce of concentration she had left to keep the quiver out of her voice, "I mean, you—this—it's intimidating." She watched as understanding slowly crept into his face. It was with crushing disappointment that she felt his heat and scent pull away.

Harry Hook had taken a step back, yet his eyes were still burning into her. She wondered with embarrassment if she had looked disappointed when he pulled away.

Cassie used the newfound distance to clear her head and to focus her thoughts. There was something she had wanted, "I want to get to know you first."

A pirate's grin was her answer, "I'd like that."

* * *

**Today's addition of "What did Harry Hook just say?":**

**"Yer a chancer" (the title of this chapter) **can mean a couple things: _it's a British term for someone who takes advantage of situations and manipulates them to his own benefit _**OR**_ a chancer is someone who quite boldly 'chances their luck' by taking risks and asking unreasonable requests._

**"Dinnae"** means_: Don't. As in: 'Dinnae forget to pack an umbrella'._

**Review Recognition:**

_**shadowcat106:** I'm glad you're feeling the romance, I'm really trying to build it slowly and not rush it. I hope this helps alleviate that boredom for at least a little while!_

_**Lady of Trolls:** I'm glad you like it! Poor kitty lol! But in terms of the Cheshire Cat's soulmate: I can't (or rather won't) give spoilers but I will admit that it does have a role in the hate between the two of them._

_**Heaven's Mistake: **Growing pains indeed! Well all the same I have enjoyed reading your (and other readers') guesses/predictions of where this story is going. I'm also a bookworm myself, I actually model my writing after some of my favorite author's style._

_**Lottielue1:** Thank you so much for that! I think someone else said they didn't get notified about chapters being posted before too. I wonder what is up with that? As you can see Cassie definitely did show up. As for Gil, we'll have to wait and see how he makes it out of the trip wire's I've written around him. Poor boy. Also: I really hope that this whole thing doesn't take 3 to 6 months to blow over. _

**Remember to favorite/review/follow!**

**If you follow this story you can know when I post a new chapter!**

**Thank you for reading and all the kind words!**


	18. Do you mind me asking

**_Hello my lovelies! Sorry for the long wait, I found myself reviewing and re-writing this chapter over and over again. Please note that there is something special at the end of this chapter._**

**_***Special Author's note at the end of the chapter***_**

* * *

**_Previously on SoulMarked..._**

_"I don't mean it like that." it took every ounce of concentration she had left to keep the quiver out of her voice, "I mean, you—this—it's intimidating." She watched as understanding slowly crept into his face. It was with crushing disappointment that she felt his heat and scent pull away._

_Harry Hook had taken a step back, yet his eyes were still burning into her. She wondered with embarrassment if she had looked disappointed when he pulled away._

_Cassie used the newfound distance to clear her head and to focus her thoughts. There was something she had wanted, "I want to get to know you first."_

_A pirate's grin was her answer, "I'd like that."_

* * *

**Chapter 18: Do you mind me asking...**

"So, where do we start?"

Harry's question was the same one humming around in Cassie own mind. _Where to start._

"I guess where everyone starts: at the beginning." the little cat mused as she turned to start the long trek back to the inner isle. Their beginning together was rough to say the least. Hook had led her into a mad chase across the isle, threatened and scared her, and then let her go. Not to mention the various cat-and-mouse antics that followed their inauspicious beginning. Still though, she held hope that there was more to Hook than simply a dogged determination to catch her.

"Who is the real Harry Hook?"

"Who am I?" Harry shrugged his shoulder up, repositioning the duffelbag more comfortably. His free hand reached down to wring the smooth metal of his hook between his fingers. His eyes were glued to the wringing motion as he answered her with false-bravado, "That's a big question Cassie. Am I to spill me guts an' get naethin' in return?"

Cassie was not so easily tricked. She may have been alone all those years but she had developed an eye for reading people. Whatever bravado Hook was trying to sell she wasn't buying. She just wondered what he didn't want her to see.

"Depends what you want in return I guess." the little cat eyed him carefully out of the corner of her eye as they walked.

"Tit for tat," Hook had his suave mask back on, "Honesty—an' without the dodgy game this time."

Cassie's back straightened. A fair exchange of information without dodging questions. In other words, he was asking for open communication, "Fair enough."

"Then by all means, ladies first." Hook gave a semblance of a mock-bow, or at least as much of one as he could without tipping the duffelbag off his shoulder, "What dae ye want tae know about th' infamous Harry Hook?" his accent thickened again into that alluring lilt. Cassie got the creeping sense that his accent was something he played up or toned down as the situation demanded. She certainly didn't mind, whether it was the playful lilt or the seductive rhythm of a heavier accent he was a pleasure to listen to.

The two were slowly making their way back towards the inner isle, the near-round moon lighting their way.

"Depends," Cassie purred, "What information is up for grabs?"

"Ah'm an open book."

"Hmmm." Cassie hummed in faux-consideration as she flicked a quick sideways look over at the pirate walking beside her, "I think I'd prefer that book _shelved_." Cassie's kittenish jab at him earned her a deep chuckle.

"Yer teasin' me." he accused lightheartedly.

"Maybe." Cassie conceded with a cat's grin, "Honestly, I'm not sure what I want to know yet. I had this image of you from before we met, but you aren't really what I expected."

"Ah'm more charmin' aren't I?" His grin was wickedly mischievous. His accent was almost like a playful, teasing song. He was fishing for assurance and being awfully cheeky about it. The flustering part was that he was spot on with his teasing. She did want to get to know him and he was definitely more charming than she had expected. She was curious about him and he knew it. Though she would die before giving him the satisfaction of admitting that. She very pointedly raised a single eyebrow at the brunette beside her before returning her eyes to the cobblestone alleyway they were walking down.

"Aww come on love, don' be coy." Harry was enjoying watching her become more and more comfortable around him. She was already growing comfortable enough to give him back what teasing he gave.

Cassie scoffed goodhearted, "You're a flirt." She could say with certainty that at least one SoulMark was true.

"Ah," Harry chuckled to himself, "It's nae the first time I've been called 'at."

"I know." Cassie rolled her eyes. Momentarily Hook seemed taken aback by her glib answer. It quickly became obvious to the little cat that he was wondering if her skin had told her or if there were rumors about that particular trait of his. She figured there was no harm in being upfront about it, "It's a SoulMark. Left shoulder blade."

"Ahh..." This time the silence that followed was not the light comfortable silence of before but instead a silence filled with invisible layers.

Harry's eyes raked over the little cat, wondering what other words were hidden under those sheets of black cotton. He couldn't help but wonder what she must think of him from them. He was not so fool-hardy as to think they were good things.

Somewhere in that silence Harry dropped his heavier accent, "Do you mind me asking..." Harry cleared his throat. His mouth felt dry. He wasn't even really sure if he wanted to know, "What, ah, other SoulMarks are there?"

The first mate watched as an invisible barrier shot up. He could practically imagine the little cat's hairs standing on end.

"Sensitive topic?" he ventured.

"No." Cassie frowned, forcing her internal panic back down, "Just..." _How could she tell him what those words were? Or how she had based her whole opinion of him on what others had said to him; on the words he believed defined himself whether he liked it or not? _She couldn't help but feel like she had somehow violated his privacy._ It was massively intimate yet it was his soul and not hers that had been laid out on her skin. _

"It's not good is it?"

Cassie looked over just quick enough to see the slightest disappointment in his pale blues before he hid it. _What could she say?_

"Not all of it's bad." the words had slipped past her lips before she could even think about the next ones. One day she would learn to think before speaking, learn to filter her thoughts before they were spoken. For now though she was still playing catch-up.

His eyes were on her now, surprised but not unpleasantly so.

Cassie felt a flurry of panic as she struggled to string together the thoughts that would become her next sentences. Her mind was a cyclone of swirling words. All at once she was trying to shift through all the SoulMarks and grab at the ones that were his more positive ones. She grabbed at the first one she could recall, probably because it had been right next to _**Flirt**_. "_'__**Handsome**__.' You're __**handsome**__._" It was blurted in a sort of panicked squeak and as soon as the words were out there and she was looking at those surprised pale blue orbs she realized what she had said.

_She could die. _

_'Words: do not pass brain, do not collect two hundred dollars.'_

Harry's surprise quickly morphed into a winning smirk. Meanwhile Cassie could feel heat pooling into a flame of embarrassment in her chest. When he took that chance to step in front of her and pause their steps, the heat quickly rose up her neck all the way to the roots of her hair, coloring everything in its path a rosy pink.

"Yer not so bad yerself." Harry's smirk was enough to set her flame of embarrassment to an inferno. The way he was smiling down at her was enough to give her a strange tightening in her chest and gut, as well as a quickening of her pulse. Her breath hitched just a little and her heartbeat felt deeper and stronger. Harry had an effect on her that was unlike anything she had ever experienced before.

"I—" _Hades, she wished she could evaporate,_ "I meant that _**Handsome**_ is a SoulMark. It's, uh, on my left shoulder blade too."

Harry smiled smoothly, his eyes holding her even when she wanted to look at anything but him. His accent was thick and heavy again, just like his voice, "Weel, be 'at as it may, Ah stand by what Ah said." He then punctuated the next bit by leaning in and lowering his voice. His touch was surprisingly gentle as he took her smaller hand into his own.

She could feel the warmth of his words as he spoke from his chest in that seductively slow cadence, "_You are stunning._" Cassie stood there stunned as he slowly drew her hand up to his lips for a caste kiss that sent electric currents up her arm.

His eyes were powerful and magnetic. Again she was struck by the effect that those thin lines of dark kohl had in contrast to his pale blue eyes. She vaguely wondered if that's why he did it. She could feel her whole body warming under his gaze. It really was no fair, he seemed to have the power to melt her into putty and yet he was always cool and collected himself.

"Thanks." her voice was barely a whisper, the quiver was kept out of it only by the brevity of her response. Cassie felt her lips press together in an embarrassed, nervous smile that was pushing to get free.

Harry smiled gently, warmth heating his own chest as he took another bow, as though she were royalty, before sidestepping back to beside her and flicking his eyes forward in one smooth motion. Cassie stood there dazed for a moment as he resumed their course. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the little cat visibly shake herself as she resumed her place next to him. Harry felt the warm tickling of a new SoulMark appearing on his shoulder blade. The smile and pure internal joy at that was immeasurable.

"And what else, hmm? Is that the only good mark I have?" he prodded playfully, even going so far as to give the brunette next to him a light shoulder bump. Cassie's daze seemed to be broken by this physical nudge.

It took the little cat a moment to remember the conversation they had been having before. Once she did she quickly dived into the distraction._ Would __**Pirate**__ be a good mark to him? Or __**First Mate?**_ Finally she decided on the one that was less ambiguous and that she knew was good.

"_**Loyal**_."

Her eyes flicked to the tall muscular brunette beside her and she was pleased to see him looking a little shy and embarrassed.

"Who called you that?"

The embarrassment gave way to a fond smile, "Uma."

"Your captain?"

"Aye."

Cassie nodded, an odd, somewhat unpleasant feeling taking hold in her throat and chest, "You two are close, aren't you?"

"Aye, we started off connecting because she and I were late bloomers, I just ended up bein' much later than her apparently."

Cassie was not so thick-skinned that she wasn't aware of what effect her lifestyle had had on his life—whether she had intended it or not she had shaped his self-image.

"Hook, about the SoulMarks...I'm sorry you thought..." her voice faltered and faded. She didn't have words enough for an apology of that size. How did you apologize for making someone think they were cosmically alone for half of their life?

"No' yer fault, Cassie." His frown spoke of old and new feelings, "Ah know it came at a cost tae ye." For a moment Cassie's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion before she saw Hook's hand come up to rest over his chest absently. Understanding dawned on her and felt like a kick to the gut.

**_Lonely_**.

"Doesn't make it better for you though. I made my choice, but you..." _He didn't get a choice._ Again her words trailed off. Again there weren't words for her emotions, so she said all that she really could say. "I'm sorry."

Hook looked over and locked eyes with her for a second. He gave her a watery smile and returned his eyes to the cobblestone street, "I appreciate that."

Silence carried them all the way to the inner plaza, where to Cassie's surprise Hook stopped without prompting before speaking up, "Still want to keep yer hidey-hole a secret?" he asked as he turned to face her. They were standing exactly where Uma had stood when she had made her declaration.

Cassie was thankful that there was no malice or ill-feelings in that question. She nodded with a small self-conscious smile.

The moonlight cast a soft glow on Harry's usually sharp features. His kohl-lined eyes were stunning in the gentle starlight. Cassie really couldn't imagine a more handsome man if she tried.

"Right then." Hook placed the bag of ill-gotten goods down, "I'll be seein' ye around?"

There was a warmth there. "I think I'd like that." A small, genuinely warm smile.

Hook smiled back.

As soon as Hook turned his back to walk away though Cassie was struck by that same sense of loneliness that had been devouring her for the past four years. She felt an overwhelming desire to keep him there just a bit longer, to not be lonely for just a little more, and before she could think better of it she found herself calling his name.

"Hook?"

* * *

*****Special Author's Note*****

_Alright! Here it is: I've never done something like this before but I figured that since we are all quarantined together I might do something special! I propose something a little more **interactive** than my usual works._

**_Submit in the comments something you would like to hear Cassie/Harry say to one another! Maybe a question you think needs to be aired, a flirty comment you think would be perfect, or some heart to heart you want to hear! It can be a literal quote you suggest or a vague idea._**

**_Now, keep in mind that if you submit something I feel is a little too out of character I might just say I can't see it happening or I might tweak it a little to fit better-but I will try to sprinkle them into the story as I go. _**

**_This cliffhanger in particular is a great chance to get some of them out-or I might save one or two for later. _**

**_IF I choose to feature your suggestion then I will give you props for it in the "end credits" so to speak._**

**_RULES:_**

**_Write "_****_INTERACTION DIALOGUE SUGGESTIONS:" and then whatever you come up with._**

**_DEADLINE: _**

**_Ten days from now-Friday April 24th_**

* * *

**_Review Recognition segment: _**

**_Heaven's Mistake: _**_Aww, imagining my readers giggling is so pure. I actually had to google what Yandere meant! But yes, she is definitely a bit of that. When I was developing her character's feeling and motivations I researched Obsessive Love Disorder and have put a bit of that into her._

_**Lady of Trolls:** You're actually not the first person to speculate that Chad could be Gil's soulmate. Honestly I purposely kept it vague since there was not really anyone that they hinted at in the movies. Uma and Audrey was something that came to me because of the song mashup "Queen of Mean/What's my name" I recommend it since it is super catchy. Back to your question, Audrey's publicly known SoulMark is **Captain**, so while Uma, Gil, and Harry have put it together (color/font matches + Uma's SoulMarks), other VKs have not._

_**shadowcat106**: That is really kind of you to say, so thank you so much. I'm always happy to hear that my writing is appreciated!_

_**Lottielue1:** Oh-ho-ho and the plot thickens. Lol sorry, couldn't help myself. I do try to avoid cringe-worthy writing. I don't like to force my characters into a sudden kiss but like to feel it out and see when they are close enough to be getting there. Honestly, writing a story is interesting because you would think that the author is in 100% control and we are, but we are also a slave to the personalities we have created. _

_**HistoryISculture**: First, as a history-lover, I appreciate your username. Second, thank you! I'm glad you liked it and hope you continue to enjoy!_

_**Stars4life:** Thank you! So sweet! And don't worry, I've been following all the health rules our county has been issuing. Stay vigilant!_

_**Shipperandfanficer15:** Great! I hope you are enjoying the slowburn~_

_**sarahpat163:** Thank you for bringing your concern up, I was actually already aware that his accent is Scottish. I understand however how you might have gotten that impression from the last chapters "translation" segment. The phrase 'yer a chancer' is actually quite popular in Scottish slang as well as British slang. It's a lovely UK cross-cultural phrase. _

_**BeforexImxDead:** I'm glad you are excited and also honored that you like the SoulMark idea that I created. I wanted a more emotionally telling soulmark than the ones where it is the first words they say to each other. _

_**Kim:** No apology needed! Welcome back~ I know what you mean. My husband is still working (essential employee) but I am not so while he is still keeping to his usual routine I am slowly turning nocturnal lol. I also really feel what you said about needing warm and fuzzies, I find myself wanting to watch comedies more and more to lighten my own mood._

**_(WOW! Look at all that love guys! Thank each and every one of you! Honestly this feels great!)_**

**Remember to favorite/review/follow!**

**If you follow this story you can know when I post a new chapter!**

**Thank you for reading and all the kind words!**


	19. My luck seems improved

**Previously on SoulMarked...**

**(Ultra readers-digest version because it's been a while)**

_"Do you mind me asking..." Harry cleared his throat. His mouth felt dry. He wasn't even really sure if he wanted to know, "What, ah, other SoulMarks are there?"_

_"Not all of it's bad."_

_"I—" Hades, she wished she could evaporate, "I meant that **Handsome** is a SoulMark. It's, uh, on my left shoulder blade too."_

_"Weel, be 'at as it may, Ah stand by what Ah said...You are stunning."_

_Harry felt the warm tickling of a new SoulMark appearing on his shoulder blade._

_~...~...~_

_"Hook, about the SoulMarks...I'm sorry you thought..."_

_"No' yer fault, Cassie." His frown spoke of old and new feelings, "Ah know it came at a cost tae ye."_

_"Doesn't make it better for you though. I made my choice, but you..." He didn't get a choice. Again her words trailed off. Again there weren't words for her emotions, so she said all that she really could say. "I'm sorry."_

_"I appreciate that."_

_~...~...~_

_"Hook?"_

* * *

**Chapter 19: My luck seems improved**

Cassie was used to wearing loneliness like a second skin. Really, she was. After four years she had grown accustomed to it. There used to be month-long stretches before she even remembered she was lonely. However, since meeting Hook, Cassie had been feeling the emotional equivalent of physical starvation.

And when his pale blues fell on her again she knew why.

_Hades and all his Olympus-dwelling family_, for whatever forsaken reason Hook made her feel less lonely. It was like looking at him with new eyes. Her jaw slacked ever so slightly as she stared at the handsome pirate.

She didn't feel so alone.

"Yes Luv?"

She did however still feel profoundly stupid standing there flapping in the wind with nothing to say.

Just like that she snapped out of it. "I...ah, I—What about you?" Cassie fumbled out, feeling even worse when she saw how his eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"And what about me?" Harry echoed back. Even bewildered he managed to weave his question into a playful lilt, like he was playing with the question. His mysterious allure seemed so, well, seamless.

Cassie clarified her original thought, "I asked some of my questions, don't you have any for me?" Now Harry Hook's interest was visibly piqued. The tall brunette slowly re-closed the gap between them, a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips.

She'd seen that look before. His undivided attention was slowly heating every nerve in her body.

"Mmm," Harry practically purred, "That's it? You'll tell me anything I want to know?"

She wondered at what point her blood would start to actually boil from the rising temperature.

"I'm no liar." Cassie leveled the pirate with a deadpan expression, "_'A fair exchange of information,'_ remember?"

"Aye." Harry looked like the proverbial cat that had swallowed the canary, "I remember. Seems I got a fair bit of information already though." He was baiting her, forcing her into a corner where she had to admit that she simply wanted to keep him there. Cassie hated that he was clever enough to notice and also cocky enough to use that to poke at her.

"If you remember correctly you asked about my SoulMarks, which are really more about _you_ than me." Cassie countered, feeling relief at having squirmed her way out of that particular corner.

Hook seemed amused by this rather than put off, as though he enjoyed being bested. Maybe he did.

"So they are Kitty." Harry's grin was a liquid smile, as wide and mysterious as the ocean depths. His face quickly took on one of contemplation, complete with him puckering his lips and turning his eyes upwards. "What to ask though."

"World's your oyster." Cassie stifled a small grin at her own pirate-themed pun.

The phrase seemed to have inspired Harry, whose eyes widened momentarily before narrowing in satisfaction at the little cat, "Now there's a thought."

He turned his focus back to her, "If you were free, really free—no barrier, no isle of the lost, what would ye do?"*

_Life outside of the barrier?_ Cassie had considered it before, every VK dreamed of life outside the barrier at least once. But her problems weren't limited to geography.

A silent sigh as her eyes fell to the cobblestone dejectedly, "There will always be the Queen."

"Oy." Cassie was surprised when she felt his hands take each shoulder, forcing her eyes back to his breathtakingly blue eyes, "What if there _was_ no Queen? What would you do if you weren't afraid?"**

He was looking at her as if her answer was the world to him. Maybe he needed her to believe in a future without the Queen.

_A world without the Queen was a world of opportunity, of hope._

"I would want to see _everything_," If he hadn't been looking directly at her, not even an arm's width away, Hook wouldn't have heard those gently purred words.

"Everything Luv?"

"Starting with Wonderland."

"An' how do ye plan to see everything?"

"It doesn't matter." Cassie shrugged off his hands, her momentary dream quickly shoved from her thoughts, "It'll never happen anyway. The king has no plans to free any more V.K.s." _And even if he did, there was no way someone as invisible as her would be chosen..._

"Ye never know." Harry said, surprising Cassie with his optimism. "Uma's been schemin' against tha' barrier for near a decade." It was only natural his thoughts gravitated more towards 'anything-is-possible.' Uma had been planning ever since she realized her soulmate was on the other side of that barrier. He had to believe that somehow one of those plans would succeed. For Uma if nothing else. He did like to imagine it though. Freedom.

"You could sail with us—with me." Harry leaned back ever so slightly. His tone was glib, as though it was just an interesting thought and not much else. "Wonderland's not far by ship."*

"Maybe." Cassie smiled coyly but Hook didn't miss how her tone was more of a 'yes' than a 'no."

"And what would ye do little kitty once ye got to Wonderland?" Harry found himself wanting to explore that future more. He decided then that he liked the idea of sailing with Cassie, visiting any and all ports of her whims.

"I guess look for all the places my father described to me." a small, fond smile curved her lips, "He used to go on and on about the Tulgey Woods and the Hatter's tea parties and the Queen's court gardens. He despised the queen but he was in love with her garden." By the end of her short reminiscing Harry's own smile mirrored hers.

Within a moment though her smile faltered. Harry picked up the subtle shift and closed the distance between them by one more step.

"Yer da, what was he like?" Cassie felt shivers looking into the pirate's eyes at that moment. She truly for the first time felt that soulmate pull and didn't feel a knee-jerk desire to run away. Quite the contrary.

"He was a lot of things." Cassie felt like she was being pulled in by those pale gemstones, "He was kind, mischievous, wickedly witty. He loved playing tricks. He was a bit of a coward though." She let out a self-deprecating chuckle at the memories, "He used to tell me about life before the barrier; every story ended with him evaporating away whenever a situation turned bad or dangerous...But he was my dad and I loved him, I still do."

"An' yer ma?"

Her eyes dimmed, remembering how her father barely mentioned her mother. "I don't know much about her. She passed when I was very young. I hear she was kind. Dad says she was _braver_ than him. She wasn't his soulmate but he loved her. He didn't like talking about it. Hurt too much I guess."

Harry's eyebrow lifted up inquisitively. Un-bonded relationships weren't unheard of, though they were still incredibly rare, usually there was a tragedy or a long story connected to such relationships. But the frown taking Cassie's lips was more pressing to the young pirate than any old drama. He was no dullard, he quickly surmised the cause of her frown and mirrored the expression.

"Ah'm sorry Cassie. How long ago did yer da..." his question faded but the lingering unsaid words were clear:_ how long ago did he pass?_

"Four years."

Instantly Harry's heart thumped to the floor.

"Ye've been alone fer four years?" It was a rhetorical question, a knee-jerk reaction to hearing the news and an exact mirror of his thoughts.

_How had she stayed so strong being alone for so long? _She continued to impress him the more he learned about her.

Cassie turned her gaze back down to the street below her and cleared her throat.

A gentle, soul-crushing whisper, "We both know the answer to that."

"Aye." Hook breathed the word.

Hook's hand clenched and unclenched uncomfortably, missing the comfort of his hook's smooth grip. Every fiber of him wanted to take her and lock her somewhere safe from the world. He hadn't been thinking through the actions, only following what felt right at the time. When her amber eyes flashed up though he felt his heart constrict and the steps that followed were shocking even to him.

Cassie had seen his hand twitch, had watched it slowly glide to her arm. The action had not even registered however until she felt the warm callouses of that hand press into her jacket sleeve. Her heart bolted and that one, small, even minuscule act of kindness was it. That seemingly minor action caused in her an unpredictably large and sudden reaction, the accumulation of four years of small actions. Her amber eyes shot up to Harry's. A moment later her chin trembled and her amber orbs welled up. With great effort she held back the floodgates.

_Hades, if she started crying now she didn't think she could stop..._

Hook's reaction was almost instantaneous. Cassie saw him pause, his eyes widened in surprise. His decision was made the second he saw her lips tremble and her eyes twinkle with a fresh misting of loneliness.

He was only conflicted a moment before she felt the hand on her arm tighten. Then, imperceptibly fast, Hook pulled her to him and she was surrounded by his warmth and the comforting smell of driftwood and old leather. Harry's arms were strong, the arms of a sailor and a swordsman. His warm leather caressed her cheek, softer than any cotton she'd ever felt. Worn smooth and supple over the years. More than that she felt a strong squeeze, a reassuring pressure holding her together, even as she fell apart. It was the single most comforting and relaxing thing she had ever experienced.

Every muscle in Cassie's body was taut with restraint.

"Dammit." she ground out as she struggled to keep everything she had pushed down for the last four years inside. The more kindness he showed the harder her fight to hold back the tears felt.

"I got ye." Hook's voice was deep and slightly rugged. She could feel the vibrations in his chest and wondered if he could feel her heart trembling.

"Ye've been alone for a long time." She felt his chin come to rest tentatively on top her head, "It's okay to not be okay."

"I—" Cassie's throat closed around her next words. With each second the painful constriction in her throat grew as she struggled to keep the floodgates back. Words escaping her, she nodded instead; a small jerking motion.

Harry could feel her tension, the stiffness in every part of her body. The emotional strain had stretched her too thin, he could see that now. He could practically feel the heartbreaking word etched over his heart as he held her.

Hook's hold on her tightened, not uncomfortably, but like he thought it would hold her together. She could hear him grumble after a deep sigh, "Ah'm no good at this." Cassie scoffed as a sort of knee-jerk reaction.

"Me either." she forced through her constrained throat as she began blinking, drying her eyes with willpower alone.

"Well, then we're quite a pair you an' I." Hook gave a watery chuckle which Cassie matched. His good humor was comforting. Slowly her tidal wave of emotions was diluting down to the usual menagerie until finally she felt like she was standing on solid ground again. She could feel herself relaxing into the pirate's torso.

_'Yer not alone so long as I'm here.'_ Hook gently thought as he nestled his chin on the crown of her head. Instead of voicing that thought though, the first mate cleared his throat, feeling acutely aware of how uncharacteristically gentle he had been.

"Ye seem calmer."

"Oh." Cassie hadn't even realized she had closed her eyes. "Sorry, I—I don't know what came over me. I'm not usually—"

"No explanation needed Luv." Harry cut her off with a saucy smile and a placating hand, "Ye able to get back home fine without me?"

"No—Yeah—Sorry." Cassie tripped over her words as she stumbled backwards out of his warmth, "I, ah, I can, yeah, I can find my way back. No worries." She back-walked, "Yeah, no, I'm sorry. It's late, you should—I'll be fine on my own."

"Ye sure Luv?" Harry had to resist the urge to reclose the distance between them. He easily disguised this desire behind a flirtatious smirk, "I can walk ye home." His smirk widened and he gave her a suggestive wink, "Could tuck ye in too."

"I think I'll be fine." The familiar banter was comforting.

"Yer loss."

"I'll live." She liked the back and forth, but even that had to end eventually, "I'll, uh, see you later Hook."

"Until next time, Luv." Harry gave a flourish of a bow as silent fingers brought her hand to his lips. Cassie could feel her whole body temperature spike as his lips pressed against the back of her hand. His lips were fire against her cool skin. Hook didn't miss a beat as he captured her gaze in his kohl-lined pools of blue. "I look forward to next time."

Cassie couldn't muster the brainpower to pull her hand away. In all honesty, she felt her very heart had stopped as his huskily whispered words crawled up her skin.

"Me...too..."

Harry's eyes and lips softened at her breathed response.

"In tha' case, my luck seems improved." Though it pained him, he let her go, knowing she wouldn't walk home until she knew he was too far away to follow.

~...~...~

The first mate was grinning ear to ear every step of the way as he wove back and forth through the twisting Isle streets back towards pirate territory.

The improvement in Cassie's reaction to him was enough to make the pirate downright giddy. She'd gone from feral towards him to, well, (continuing that metaphor) almost domesticated. She was warming up to him.

Harry could feel it.

For years he had been broken, standing alone at the edge for so long with no control. Every choice he had made before was some form of lashing out over his circumstances or had been some bravado to prove that his fate didn't own him. There was finally hope. For once he wasn't trying to escape his fate—it was almost laughable—after so long, he was suddenly looking forward to it.

His luck had finally taken a turn for the better.

_"Hello handsome."_ A greeting in the dark.

A loud thud. A sharp pain.

Harry sank like a stone into oblivion.

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*Reference to submission by Lottielue1

**Reference to submission by Heaven's Mistake

If your submission wasn't used in this chapter-don't worry. You'll probably see it later in the story.

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**It's been a bit crazy. Since I last wrote my husband and I moved into a new home, adopted two kittens, and I got a new job. **

**I know some of you were worried that I had abandoned this story. I have not and I don't believe I will. Life has been busy but I kept coming back to this and tweaking the chapter here and there.**

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	20. Not exactly a love letter

**Hello! It's just a short chapter this time! I know it's not much but I hope it is still well-received. I just felt this was a better breaking point than later on.**

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**Chapter 20: Not exactly a love letter**

Harry drifted slowly to consciousness. First thing he noticed was he was covered in a light misting of water. He felt a cold that went straight through to his bones. Frigid cobblestones were beneath him. He had been deposited outside somewhere. He slowly realized he was laying on his side. His eyes felt like they were dancing over dagger-ends when he finally mustered the strength to blink them open.

He was on the ground in the shade between two double-story buildings. He had been dragged into an alley by whoever had knocked him out last night. Light was scattered into the alley from the main street, occasionally blurs passed by blocking the light out momentarily. An undignified groan left the first mate at even the indirect light. Outside of the alley he could hear the gentle, mixed murmur of a semi-busy street as villains and V.K.s went to and fro without a care for the previously unconscious V.K. in the alley. He had no illusion that they would have spared a glance had he been actually dead.

Slowly it came back to Harry that he had been on his way to the ship when someone had knocked him out—and with a single hit no less, which spoke of strength. Vaguely he recalled a female's voice before he dropped.

Harry tried to move but found his wrists bound together by half-inch twisted sisal rope. Whoever had knocked him out had done him the disservice of tying his hands together.

"Who th' hell?" the pirate rubbed at his face, trying to massage away the pain and grogginess. Slowly and with great discomfort and pain the tall brunette, using a nearby wall as support, crawled to his feet.

"Bloody 'ell." The pirate winced at the stiffness.

The back of his head felt like a pounding drum. He could feel the swelling though he dared not even attempt to touch the spot. He doubted he could reach it even if he wanted to.

His first thought of course was that he had fallen victim to a classic mugging; a fairly common practice on the isle, though admittedly he had not been robbed since becoming Uma's second in command. That idea was quickly discredited when he realized he had been bound like a Christmas ham.

He twisted, pulled, and jerked at the rope only to be rewarded with the hemp fibers biting into his wrists and rubbing his skin raw. Whoever had tied it had made sure it was too secure to come undone easily and too tight to slip out of.

Expecting the worst, the pirate began to check his body and pockets so he could access the damage. It was an awkward fumbling what with his hands bound as they were but he managed. To his surprise he still had his watch, his hook, and his sword. All were well worth stealing.

"Wha' in bloody 'ell is goin' on?" The first mate mumbled to himself as he double-checked his pockets. Again, he found nothing was missing. Quite the opposite actually. He found he had something he knew wasn't there before.

Slowly he pulled out the crumpled paper. It had been folded up sloppily into squares and shoved unceremoniously into his jacket pocket. The pirate's eyebrows knit together as he stared dubiously at the crumpled paper. Someone went to the effort to knock him out just to give him a letter?

"'ad better be good." Harry gave into his curiosity and undid the folds.

_'Stay away from the Cheshire Cat's daughter or next time you don't wake up.'_ was all that was written in large, swooping letters that ended in swirls.

"Of course." It only made so much sense that his luck couldn't be that good. Of course he was getting death threats. He lifted his bound hands and tossed the paper to the ground in frustration.

Walking back to the Lost Revenge with his hands bound was going to be one hell of a journey. The pirate eyed the sword hanging from his hip.

~...~...~

"Ran into trouble on my way back." the first mate growled as he tossed the crumpled up paper onto the counter Uma had been wiping down.

The teal-haired girl raised an eyebrow at the brisk greeting but quickly shifted her attention to the crumpled sheet he had tossed to her. It was dirty and slightly wet as if it had been on the ground.

An hour after waking up in an alley Hook managed to get back to pirate territory with no lost dignity. After cutting himself free he had grabbed the letter, destroyed some property in the alley, and made a war-path straight to the chip shoppe. Rage had given him enough strength to get there, but could only last so long. He was low on fuel and rage wasn't even enough to keep the pirate standing after he had gotten out his first frustration.

He dropped into the bar stool and for the first time since waking up he rested his head. His skull was throbbing with pain and there was visible swelling at the back by that point.

As he had predicted Uma paid him no mind, but instead was examining the letter. After a short silence the teal-haired girl finally lowered the letter back to the counter and eyed her first mate.

"Not exactly a love letter." she quipped.

"Oh I beg tae differ." Hook groaned when lifting his head back up caused the room to swim, "They waer passionate enough tae knock me noggin." He tentatively touched the back of his head this time and instantly winced and withdrew the offending fingers.

"Let me see that." Uma demanded. Without waiting for his compliance she grabbed his head like it was a basketball and turned it left and right, examining where Hook had touched before she palmed at the spot herself, moving his hair out of the way to get a better look.

"Cod dammit Harry." She hissed before she practically threw his head back at him, "You should be at the ship's doctor." There was a large bump on the back of his head as wide as a baseball and there was blood matted into his hair from a gash that had clotted some time ago.

"Ah hardly think Desiree counts as a doctor." Hook countered.

"Regardless, you're lucky you're standing." Uma disappeared into the backroom and quickly came back with a block of frozen fish in her hand. "Here, put this on your head." She extended the scale-y Popsicles over the counter. Harry eyed the bag of frozen fish dubiously.

"_Captain's orders._" she added with emphasis.

Reluctantly he took the bag from her. He dared not disobey a direct order.

"I assume they hit you from behind?" She watched as he placed the frozen fish against his bump and hissed in pain.

"Aye. Well deduced." His temper was being stoked by the pain.

"Well, did you get anything?"

"Naethin' worthwhile." his eyes glowered at the counter top, "Some lass greeted me from the side an' then someone hit mae from behind."

"Not much to go on."

"Aye, but whoever they are they know about Cassie." That fact alone narrowed the suspects down to a few.

"So what, should we warn her?" Uma could see out of the corner of her eye that the customers were beginning to get impatient and trying to wave her over.

Harry mulled over that thought for a moment, "Best not." Cassie was just beginning to warm up to him, if he gave her any reason she might bolt and he'd never see her again.

Uma gave her friend and first mate a leveling look.

"The threats to me, not her." Harry defended.

The teal-haired captain rolled her eyes.

"You better hope you don't regret that." She warned, "And go get that looked at." she advised, then she had to step away to see to some customers.

~...~...~

A few days had passed without incident for Cassie.

She hadn't seen or heard from Harry Hook during that time. She figured he was busy with first mate stuff, whatever that entailed.

She hadn't been bothered on her night walks either. His pirates no longer chased her to and fro and barely glanced at the rooftops anymore.

It was almost normal, or at least normal for the daughter of the Cheshire Cat.

She had no way of knowing it was simply the calm before the storm.

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